An electric version of the JAC T9 dual-cab ute could be on the way to Australian showrooms as a rival to the electric Toyota HiLux, with local testing and evaluation ongoing, as record fuel prices across the country increase its appeal to fleet and private buyers.
Speaking to media including CarExpert at the Melbourne motor show, managing director of JAC importer LTS Auto, Ahmed Mahmoud, said record fuel prices and increasing uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) have changed the brand’s approach.
While it was already working on an electric T9 for mining companies – currently only sold here with a diesel engine – pressure from fuel prices and EV growth have it looking at a showroom version for Australian buyers.
“If you asked me this question eight weeks ago…” said Mr Mahmoud when asked about JAC’s local electric ute plans.
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The T9 EV was shown in Australia in 2025, with a 70kW/176Nm motor on the front axle and 150kW/340Nm rear motor enabling four-wheel drive and 0-100km/h in a claimed 8.4 seconds.
Its 88kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery brings 340km of WLTP range, with a payload of 900kg and a braked towing capacity of 2000kg.
The existing diesel-powered T9 ute will soon be joined by the JAC T9 Hunter PHEV (plug-in hybrid), which made its local debut at the Melbourne motor show.
The PHEV will be the brand’s rival to the BYD Shark 6, GWM Cannon Alpha and Ford Ranger PHEV utes, though pricing has yet to be announced.
In 2025, the company started a six-month trial of a single T9 EV – the first in the country – with Western Australia mining company Warrikal, which ended in February.
“We’ve now committed to the build of another mine-spec example sample vehicle, and that vehicle will be completed production end of April and head straight to WA by the middle of the year,” Mr Mahmoud said.
“That will be under trial for a few months in one of the big mining companies over there.”
Recent record fuel prices – with petrol averaging more than $2.50 per litre nationally and diesel more than doubling in the past six weeks to around $3.26 per litre – mean an electric ute could appeal beyond fleets and mining companies.
“The appetite for a private customer to pay ‘X’ amount more for an EV may not have been there a little while ago, so we focussed on the fleets and the mines, and we worked first and foremost with JAC China on building first and foremost a mine-spec vehicle,” said Mr Mahmoud.
“Only recently did we say, ‘You know what? Why is this not just a retail car? Why can’t we? And there’s absolutely no reason for us not to build and bring in a car as retail spec. We just need to make sure that it’s going to be at a price that’s going to be consumable by our customers as well,” the LTS Auto boss said.
A showroom version wouldn’t be part of the local lineup until late 2027 at the earliest, Mr Mahmoud said, by which time the Toyota HiLux BEV (battery-electric vehicle) will have been on sale here for more than 12 months.
Scheduled to arrive here next month, the HiLux BEV will be offered in two model grades, priced from $74,990 before on-road costs for the SR double-cab/chassis.
The equivalent diesel-powered HiLux is priced from $57,990 before on-road costs, around 22 per cent cheaper.
Another electric ute, the KGM Musso EV, starts at $60,000 before on-road costs, while the diesel-powered version – a significantly different vehicle on an entirely different platform – is priced from $42,500 before on-roads, around 29 per cent less.
MG has confirmed it’ll launch an electric ute here too, based on its U9 dual-cab, though it has yet to confirm local pricing. The U9 EV made its debut at the Melbourne show.
It’s the price premium JAC is working through to decide if it will add the T9 EV to its local lineup, with Mr Mahmoud saying an EV model would cost ‘considerably more’ than diesel equivalents.
The current T9 in local showrooms is powered by a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine and starts at $38,990 before on-roads. Using the HiLux BEV and Musso EV as a guide, a hypothetical 25 per cent premium would see an EV version priced at around $49,000.
This would make the JAC T9 EV the cheapest electric ute on sale in Australia.
“It’s not that we can’t provide a retail-spec or a tradie-spec full EV to the market, it’s whether or not it’s going to be at a price point where’s it’s going to make sense for the mines,” Mr Mahmoud said.
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