Jaecoo’s first seven-seat model borrows its 315kW drivetrain, its battery and even its exact before-on-road-costs price from the Chery Tiggo 9. The badge is new. Almost everything underneath it is not.
Jaecoo has confirmed pricing and specification for the J8 SHS, a seven-seat plug-in hybrid version of its largest SUV and the first three-row model the brand has sold in Australia. It arrives in a single Summit variant priced from $59,990 MSRP with dealership arrivals due this month.
SHS stands for Super Hybrid System, Chery’s name for the turbo-petrol-plus-multi-motor hybrid architecture now spreading across its Omoda, Jaecoo and Chery Tiggo ranges. Until now the J8 has only ever been sold here as a five-seat, petrol-only SUV. The SHS changes both of those things in one hit.
Why Priced Differently?
That $59,990 figure needs a caveat the press release does not spell out. Jaecoo’s existing five-seat J8 range is sold drive-away, at $49,990 for the Track and $54,990 for the Ridge AWD. The J8 SHS is instead quoted as MSRP: registration, stamp duty and dealer delivery are all still to be added.
Once those costs land, a realistic drive-away figure will sit closer to $63,000 to $66,000 depending on the state. Buyers comparing the sticker price directly against drive-away rivals are comparing two different things and the gap is easily $4,000 or more.
Shared bones with the Tiggo 9
The J8 SHS is built on Chery’s T1X platform, the same underpinnings shared by the Omoda 9 SHS and the Chery Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid, both already on sale in Australia. The Omoda 9 is the five-seat coupe SUV take on this architecture. The Tiggo 9 is the far closer relative and the spec sheets make that obvious.
Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid: 315kW, 580Nm, a 34kWh battery, 170km of NEDC electric range and a 1.5-litre turbo four making 105kW and 215Nm before the electric motors join in. J8 SHS: 315kW, 580Nm, a 34kWh battery, 169km of NEDC electric range and the identical 105kW/215Nm 1.5-litre engine. Even the $59,990 before-on-road-costs price matches, before the MSRP versus drive-away distinction above is factored in.
None of that makes the J8 SHS a bad car. Jaecoo positions itself as the more design-led, better-equipped arm of the Chery stable, and reviewers of the Tiggo 9 have praised the drivetrain while criticising a cramped third row and fiddly infotainment. What buyers are really choosing between here is styling, dealer network and equipment list, not fundamentally different hardware.
The wider seven-seat PHEV field has filled in fast this year. BYD’s Sealion 8 undercuts on price from $56,990 before on-road costs, and Mitsubishi’s Outlander Aspire is the only genuinely seven-seat grade in that lineup, from $66,709.
Mazda’s CX-80 PHEV starts at $69,990 drive-away, and Kia’s Sorento PHEV sits higher again. The J8 SHS lands roughly in the middle of that pack, right alongside its own Chery sibling.
Powertrain and range
Total system output is 315kW and 580Nm, from a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine (105kW/215Nm) working alongside three electric motors: two on the front axle producing 75kW/170Nm and 90kW/220Nm, plus a 175kW/310Nm unit at the rear. Drive goes through a three-speed Dedicated Hybrid Transmission (3DHT), with the rear motor providing all-wheel drive while the front axle handles most everyday cruising.
The 34kWh battery is good for up to 169km of electric-only driving on the NEDC cycle, with total combined range quoted at over 1,000km. DC fast charging tops out at 70kW. NEDC figures run generous by nature, and the closely related Tiggo 9 is a useful guide here: its own 170km NEDC claim drops to 146km under the stricter WLTP test. Buyers should plan around something closer to the WLTP side of that gap than the headline NEDC number.
Towing capacity is rated at 750kg unbraked and 1600kg braked. That is modest for a large SUV and worth checking against any caravan or trailer plans before signing anything.
| Jaecoo J8 SHS | Summit |
|---|---|
| Price | $59,990 MSRP |
| Power / Torque | 315kW / 580Nm |
| EV Range (NEDC) | Up to 169km |
| Combined Range | Over 1,000km |
| Battery | 34kWh (LFP) |
| Standard Inclusions | 20-inch alloys, quilted leather, heated/ventilated/massage front seats, dual 12.3-inch displays, HUD, 14-speaker Sony audio, panoramic sunroof, 360° camera |
| Seats | 7 |
| Drivetrain | AWD, 3DHT |
Standard equipment
There is only one grade on offer, and Jaecoo has not held much back for it. Standard equipment includes:
- LED projector headlights with daytime running lights
- Power retracting door handles
- 20-inch alloy wheels
- Quilted leather seats
- Heated and ventilated front seats with massage function
- Dual 12.3-inch displays and a head-up display
- Wired and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- “Hello Jaecoo” voice command
- 14-speaker Sony sound system with two headrest speakers
- 50W wireless phone charging
- Built-in fragrance system
- Panoramic sunroof with powered sunshade
- Power tailgate
- Acoustic glass windscreen
- Second row window shades
- Colour-selectable ambient lighting
- 10 airbags
- 360-degree around view monitor
That is a genuinely long equipment list for the money. It matches, and in a few areas beats, what Jaecoo already fits to the top-spec petrol J8 Ridge.
Styling and practicality
The SHS carries over the existing J8’s waterfall grille, projector LED lighting and rear light bar lettering rather than adopting a distinct look for the plug-in variant. Four colours are offered: Arctic White, Carbon Black, Ocean Blue and Iridium Silver.
The extra row of seats does not come free in cargo terms. Boot space is 200 litres with all seven seats in place, expanding to 738 litres with the third row folded flat. That is tight with every seat occupied, though in line with what most seven-seat mid-size SUVs in this class offer once the back row is actually in use.
Safety
Ten airbags are standard, alongside autonomous emergency braking, emergency lane keeping, adaptive cruise control and forward collision warning. A 360-degree camera is fitted to the sole Summit grade. Jaecoo has not yet confirmed a specific ANCAP rating for the J8 SHS.
Ownership
Jaecoo backs the J8 SHS with an 8-year, unlimited-kilometre vehicle warranty, matched by an 8-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty on the high-voltage battery. Capped-price servicing runs for 8 years, and roadside assistance is included for up to 8 years as well.
Our customers have been asking for a 7-seat SUV and we’re more than happy to meet their demands with the compelling J8 SHS
Roy Munoz, Chief Commercial Officer at Omoda Jaecoo Australia.
The J8 SHS gives Jaecoo its first real shot at the seven-seat family buyer, arriving into showrooms this month right as Omoda Jaecoo passes 10,000 cumulative Australian sales since its May 2025 launch, and cracks the VFACTS top 15 outright. A hybrid version of the J5 small SUV is already flagged to follow.
PHEV volumes are growing faster than any other new-car segment in Australia right now, and the seven-seat corner of it just got a new entrant with the same drivetrain, the same battery and the same headline price as one already on sale down the road. The real test for the J8 SHS will not be its spec sheet. It will be whether Jaecoo’s styling and dealer network can close a sale against a Tiggo 9 sitting on the same showroom floor for less money once on-road costs are added.
