The Chinese automotive market is indeed a world of its own, and there are tonnes of genuinely impressive vehicles being developed and sold there than you can imagine. We recently caught scent of one that looked pretty interesting. It’s the Jiayue X8 by JAC. This large SUV can be configured as either a 5, 6 or 7-seater model depending on customer needs. By default, the 6-seater is its main configuration.
The Jiayue X8 is a lot larger than the Geely Boyue/Proton X70 in every dimension, however it’s not quite as large as something like the Mazda CX-8. Here’s how the three compare:
| Wheelbase | 2,930 mm |
| Length | 4,900 mm |
| Width | 1,840 mm |
| Height | 1,730 mm |
| Wheelbase | 2810 mm |
| Length | 4795 mm |
| Width | 1870 mm |
| Height | 1758 mm |
| Wheelbase | 2,670 mm |
| Length | 4,519 mm |
| Width | 1,831 mm |
| Height | 1,694 mm |
Before we get into any more detail about the Jiayue X8, we should first talk about JAC itself. It’s a pretty large company, but not by Chinese automotive standards. They are headquartered in Anhui, where the much larger Chery is also located. They’re are able to produce over 500,000 cars a year, which is respectable but perhaps not quite as impressive as many other Chinese automakers.
The company successfully moved away from commercial vehicles and this Jiayue X8 represents a third generation of JAC passenger cars. The X8 shows a new design language for the company with a split headlight design that is becoming increasingly common among SUV designs from Jeep, Lynk & Co, and Hyundai.
The grille design is also pretty good looking. Lots of vertical slats and a hexagonal shape. Round back, they’ve given the taillights that unibrow look that’s becoming more and more popular.
Just like the huge Geely Haoyue that just got released, JAC are going for a smaller displacement motor to move this large SUV. They’ve not opted to electrify the powertrain though. It has a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine which is capable of 184 horsepower and it can be matched to a 6-speed manual or 6-speed dual clutch transmission. We don’t know if they make these powertrain parts themselves.
