EXCLUSIVE: First Jaecoo 7 in the Philippines will be plug-in hybrid, may cost under ₱3M

The rise of new Chinese car brands in the Philippines is not quite done yet.

Luxury carmaker Jaecoo hopes to make a big splash when it officially launches in the country as early as October 2023. As such, it will first bring in the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) version of the Jaecoo 7 crossover for under ₱3 million.

Omoda and Jaecoo Philippines country director Marco Chen told AutoFun Philippines in an exclusive interview that the heavy taxes on imported vehicles above 1.5 liters in displacement dictated this decision.

“Our non-PHEV Jaecoo 7 has a 1.6-liter turbo engine, so the import tax is 30 percent and the commercial tax is 50 percent,” he said following the press preview event in Pasig City.

“It’s really high and would lead to a high price," Chen added. "We don’t want to sell products that the customer cannot afford, so we are trying to bring in the first model of the Jaecoo 7 as a PHEV.”

Cheaper to buy

The Jaecoo 7 PHEV is powered by a turbocharged 1.5-liter, twin-cam, 16-valve inline-4 gasoline engine mated to an electric motor.

The combined output is 156 PS and 220 Nm of torque, coursed through what Jaecoo calls a dedicated hybrid transmission and optional all-wheel drive. The company claims a maximum pure-electric range of 100 km.

Through Executive Orders 71 and 72, the late President Benigno Aquino III reduced import duties on vehicles from China from 20 percent to just 5 percent on vehicles that met the following criteria:

• AHTN 8703.21 (motor vehicles with engine displacement 1000cc and below)
• AHTN 8703.22 (motor vehicles with engine displacement exceeding 1000cc but not exceeding 1500cc)

This meant that from 2018, when the Executive Orders came into effect, many distributors in the Philippines could get huge savings by importing their vehicles from China instead of other countries, as long as these did not exceed 1500cc in engine displacement.

Despite this, Chen said the Jaecoo 7 PHEV would cater more to the upper end of the crossover market.

“The price will not be low, especially since the size and the design will be more luxury,” he said. “I can say a price of less than ₱3 million.”

Off-road flavor

The Jaecoo 7 is based on the Chery TJ-1 “light off-road” concept vehicle that made its global debut in China on April 2023.

Chen said this aligns with Jaecoo’s direction to offer luxurious models that can be used on rough roads.

This is exemplified by the crossover’s chunky styling, with thin LED headlights flanking the large front grill with chrome vertical slats. A stack of auxiliary lights on each side of the bumper completes the look.

Down the side, the Jaecoo 7’s profile is similar to Range Rovers, with an upward-sloping belt line, black fender trim, and huge side mirrors. It also comes with electric pop-out door handles that stay flush with the car when locked.

Finally, the rear of the Jaecoo 7 has large LED taillights and a tailgate spoiler, along with dual exhaust pipes that stick out of the silver lower bumper.

Airy cabin

Inside, the Jaecoo 7 has a tall yet minimalist dashboard with a mix of vertical and horizontal design elements. 

Standout features for the interior include the digital instrument cluster for the driver and a massive portrait-style infotainment system that has support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Aside from this, the Jaecoo 7 also carries a premium 8-speaker sound system and leather fabric seats. The crossover has other convenience features like:

• Ambient lighting

• Wireless phone charger

• Power adjustable driver seat

• Power moonroof

• Keyless entry

There's also a 540-degree AVM camera system based on spatiotemporal sequence image stitching using image processing methods, such as camera calibration, image restoration fusion, and sequence stitching.

It helps you see blind spots better than a regular 360-degree camera, including off-road situations.

Would the Jaecoo 7 PHEV find a place in the Philippine market?

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