China's tough looking 4WD firms for Oz: Chery's off-road division hints at which of its GWM Tank 300 or Jeep Compass-rivalling SUVs will be available in right-hand drive as part of new-model blitz

A Jetour representative at the recent Shanghai Motor Show confirmed some of its models are in development for right-hand drive.

Jetour is Chery’s more rugged spin-off brand in a similar vein to GWM’s Tank sub-brand. Its Traveller range of more rugged off-roaders would be a natural fit for the Australian market.

The Traveller has three tough-looking models as part of its Chinese line-up, all mid-size SUVs. The more traditional T1 Traveller, larger and tougher T2 Traveller and the Land Rover Defender-rivalling T2 Traveller Extended.

A brand representative confirmed at least one version of the Traveller was earmarked for right-hand drive development. The representative pointed to the short version of the T2 Traveller and said the right-hand drive version was initially earmarked for a petrol engined vehicle rather than a plug-in hybrid.

The representative indicated production of right-hand drive was at least a year away, and said the brand was only studying the potential for the Australian market.

A petrol version of the T2 Traveller shown on the brand’s international website is powered by either a 1.5-litre turbo four-cylinder engine (135kW/290Nm) mated to a dual-clutch automatic transmission in front-wheel drive, or a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo (187kW/390Nm) paired to the same transmission with full-time all-wheel drive.

The current plug-in hybrid version pairs a 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine (115kW/220Nm) to dual electric motors and a three-speed hybrid transmission providing an additional 155kW/390Nm.

@carsguide.com.au The tough 4x4 from Chery’s off-road sub brand that could be headed to Oz #jetourtraveller #jetourt2 #4x4 #car #carsguide #fyp ♬ original sound - CarsGuide.com.au

Two battery options provide either 100km or 150km of range according to the WLTP cycle, and all variants support up to 6.6kW vehicle-to-load discharging. Only the top 4WD version offers features such as a tank turn (the ability for the car to turn on the spot) and additional underbody protection.

All Jetour T2 grades have synthetic leather upholstery, a 15.5-inch multimedia screen, over-the-air connectivity, a 10.25-inch digital dash. All but the base version have a panoramic sunroof.

Chery’s local division has poured cold water on the idea of bringing Jetour to the Australian market, at least for now. The brand told CarsGuide in 2024 the cost to develop in right-hand drive may be prohibitive, and reiterated in March of 2025 when it said it was focused on rolling out Omoda and Jaecoo as separate and more premium sub-brands to mainstream Chery.

Adding further weight to an eventual right-hand drive launch for the Traveller is the brand is already active with its more road-going models in the right-hand-drive South Africa and Malaysia.

Expect to learn more about Jetour’s international expansion plans if it follows through with right-hand drive production of the T2 in 2026.