Remember JMC? No, not JAC, which should not be confused with GAC. This was a great brand, like ZX Auto…if you remember that too.
Whether you remember it or not, JMC appears to be on the verge of returning to the Australian market. Government documents show that the Vigus ute has received local road vehicle type approval.
These approval documents list a single double-cab variant powered by a 3.3-litre turbodiesel four-cylinder engine producing 118kW. This displacement does not match any of the diesel engines offered by JMC in China, so it may be a typo.
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No torque figure is specified in the documents, but the Vigus is said to have an eight-speed automatic transmission and automatic all-wheel drive, as well as a choice of 17- or 18-inch alloy wheels.
Only one variant is listed in the documents. Here are some of the most important dimensions:
| JMC Vigus | |
|---|---|
| length | 5335mm |
| Width | 1882mm |
| Height | 1892mm |
| wheelbase | 3150mm |
| Run release | 210mm |
| Tare mass | 1910kg |
| Total mass of the vehicle | 2780kg |
What’s unusual is that the documents appear to describe not one of JMC’s new Dadao family devices, which hit the market in 2023, but a less sophisticated model called Vigus Plus or Yuhu, which sits somewhere between the budget Baodian and the more modern Dadao.
JMC, like many other brands in China, offers several generations of vehicles at the same time, with older Vigus/Yuhu vehicles also being available on the domestic market.
The special ute launched in China this year is available there with two wheelbase lengths and various tub and cabin configurations. The sole engine is a 2.5-litre turbodiesel four-cylinder with 123kW/430Nm. The suspension consists of a double wishbone arrangement at the front and leaf springs at the rear.
Inside there’s a 7.0-inch instrument display and a 12.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system.
What’s unusual for a vehicle apparently headed to Australia is that the spec sheet doesn’t list active safety and driver assistance technology such as autonomous emergency braking. In contrast, Dadao/Grand Avenue utes are available with a full suite of this technology.
It is unclear whether JMC’s Dadao utes will come to market here, although examples have already been spotted in testing here and Jiangling Motors has already applied to IP Australia to protect the Grand Avenue export name in 2023.
In certain export markets labeled “Grand Avenue”, there are different Dadao variants aimed at private buyers, fleet customers and off-road enthusiasts. JMC offers a similar range of products as GWM with its Cannon/Poer series in China.
In fact, five of the nine submarines listed on the JMC website for the Chinese market are members of the Dadao family; The others are the brand’s older Yuhu and Baodian utes.
Choices include a 2.3-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine with 190kW/450Nm and a 2.3-litre turbocharged four-cylinder diesel engine with 130kW/450Nm. The latter is called the “Puma” engine.
There’s even an electric variant with a 180kW/385Nm electric motor and an 88kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery with an NEDC range of 423km.
The Dadao ute family uses a platform developed jointly with Ford, with which the parent company Jiangling Motors has a close relationship.
Ford acquired an equity stake in the automaker in 1995 and has two Chinese joint ventures: one with Jiangling Motors and one with Changan.
Salygon Pty Ltd, a company whose ABN listing has only been in existence for a few days, is listed as the permit holder in government documents. It is therefore unclear whether JMC’s return will be through a factory-backed operation or through a third-party dealer.
Last time JMC entered the Australian market as other budget brands such as Great Wall and ZX Auto were fading.
In 2015, the Vigus, called Yuhu in China, was introduced locally. It was equipped with Mitsubishi’s ubiquitous 2.4-liter four-cylinder naturally aspirated engine, which produced 100 kW and 201 Nm.
A 2.4-litre turbodiesel four-cylinder from Ford with 90kW/290Nm was available as an option.
A licensed version of Ford’s EcoBoost 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine was available in the 4×2 models, producing 149kW/325Nm.
At least half a dozen dealers have signed up to sell JMC vehicles, but the company withdrew from the Australian market in 2018 after sales were sluggish due to poor name recognition and the lack of an automatic transmission. It’s not clear how many sales there are because the numbers weren’t reported by VFACTS.
MORE: Eight Chinese cars that were flops in Australia
