One of the most common brands for commercial vehicles in Bangladesh — JAC Motors has recently introduced its new generation double cabin pickup T8.
Last week, Bangladeshi electronic giant Energypac announced that they will assemble the T8 in association with the Chinese carmaker at Energypac’s state of the art industrial park at Sreepur in Gazipur. They inaugurated the industrial park earlier this year.
For those who don’t know, Chinese state-owned JAC Motors has had quite a decent history of making reliable commercial vehicles since 1964. The company made an Initial Public Offering (IPO) on the Shanghai Stock Exchange in 2001.
In comparison to its sibling — the T6, the newer generation double cabin T8 pickup is now way more aggressive-looking with its huge trapezoidal grille with “JAC” spelt out in bold letters.
Only this time, it’s not just the looks that had an upgrade, but they have made huge improvements under the hood as well.
The T8, with its 1999cc engine, now gives better mileage than before. JAC says the pickup will give a mileage of 10.75km per litre. Well, that’s what they claim anyway.
One good thing about the engine is that they have been using the less-refined version of the same engine for years now, meaning that it is well tried and tested and engine spare parts shouldn’t be too difficult to source.
However, the Euro-variant of the T8 is slightly more powerful as it comes with a 2000cc engine that puts out 136hp and 320Nm of torque.
When it comes to the interior of the vehicle, the T8 is well-equipped and features a multi-function steering wheel, adjustable steering column, speed control, leather seats, electric windows, a reverse camera, rear park sensors, remote central locking, and an upmarket seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system with bluetooth connectivity.
The T8 features a reliable double-wishbone independent front suspension with coil springs, resulting in superior handling and passenger comfort.
It can better suppress body roll with stronger lateral rigidity, especially when the vehicle is laden or encountering severe off-road conditions.
Speaking of reliability, JAC Motors has one of the best built qualities in its class and that’s no surprise. Volkswagen Group owns 50% of the company and with heavy investments in R&D and product development, JAC vehicles have come a long way.
Energypac is the official distributor of the Chinese carmaker in Bangladesh and over the last few years, they have introduced a number of JAC trucks and other commercial vehicles in the country.
The assembly plant is likely to strengthen business ties between the two countries as JAC Motors is one of the major carmakers of China.
In this regard, Humayun Rashid, CEO of Energypac Power Generation PLC said: “We believe Bangladesh will be considered a lucrative destination for investment in the Chinese community and will be considered a country of opportunity. We are proud to contribute to participate in the innovation and reimagining of Bangladesh as a destination for FDI.”
At the end of last year, Volkswagen Group signed a letter of intent between Volkswagen (China) Investment Co Ltd and the Government of Anhui Province, for the increase of the Volkswagen Group’s stake in the JAC-Volkswagen joint venture, from the current 50% to 75%.
The agreement between the parties, subject to the usual regulatory approvals, provides for the investment of an amount equal to one billion euros.
The JAC T8 is priced at approximately Tk35 lakhs, however, it has not been officially announced.
At this price range, the JAC T8 is a no brainer. To put things into perspective, its competitor, the Toyota Hilux, sells for Tk56.5 lakhs.
Yes sure, the Hilux is known for being invincible and all, but if you don’t want to put a big dent in your wallet, the JAC T8 should be able to meet all your requirements.