Chinese Jac Reni ute on the way

The Chinese ute promises a 'royal and comfortable' driving experience and is already on sale in China. Jac will export it to Australia, joining haulers from Great Wall, Foton and ZX Auto.

It's called the Reni and is a Toyota Hilux size ute available as a crew  cab now, but will also be made as a single cab. Sydney-based White Motor Corporation (WMC) will distribute the new ute in Australia.

The company already imports buses from Higer and is about to launch JAC light trucks this March. It will expand its footprint with one Higer van and two JAC vans during the middle of the year. 

WMC was deep in negotiations to import a ute from JAC rival brand Foton, but negotiations fell over when the parties could not agree on pricing. 

Within weeks of knocking back the Foton Tunland ute distribution deal,  WMC was surprised when JAC management confirmed it would make the Reni ute available for Australia from the end of next year.

Given the quality issues that have pushed back the launch of the JAC light truck range,  which was initially slated for a mid-2011 launch, that could stretch out  to the first half of 2013.

Still, it is a considerable commitment to build the Reni for Australia given the ute is currently only produced as a left-hand-drive model. The Reni, often referred to as the Pick-Up in China, will be offered as a two-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive with a manual transmission to start off with, while an automatic will join the line-up later.

The Reni runs JAC engines, instead of being fitted-out with a Cummins powerplant as is the case with JAC light trucks and large vans.  A 2.8-litre four-cylinder diesel manages 68kW and 210Nm, while a 2.3-litre petrol four-cylinder generates 78kW and 190Nm. 

JAC, which is short for Jianghuai Auto Company, is especially strong in the truck market in China, but also produces a full range of passenger cars.