China’s Flooding Australia With New Pickup Trucks

Hybrid pickup trucks are surging in popularity, thanks in part to the BYD Shark 6

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Two new pickup trucks from Chinese automakers landed in Australia last week, marking a fresh round in the ongoing battle to claim a share of one of the country’s most competitive vehicle segments. The newcomers, the JAC Hunter PHEV and the Foton Tunland, offer very different approaches to utility and performance.

Read: China’s JAC Motors Brings Affordable T9 Pickup To Australia

While these two new model will never reach US shores, they signal just how serious Chinese brands are about expanding their footprint in global pickup markets.

The JAC Hunter is a more premium take on the brand’s existing T9 platform, positioned as a flagship model aimed squarely at rivals like the BYD Shark 6 and, perhaps a little bit ambitiously, the Ford Ranger Raptor. It benefits from a bold new design with blacked-out parts, flared fenders, and a rear sports bar, ensuring it has the presence to rival the BYD and the Ford. It’s packing plenty of punch, too.

Plug-In Power With Numbers to Match

Powering the Hunter is a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine complemented by an electric motor at the front axle and one at the rear. All up, it churns out an impressive 516 hp (385 kW) and 737 lb-ft (1,000 Nm) of torque. To put that into perspective, the BYD Shark 6 punches out 430 hp (321 kW) and 479 lb-ft (650 Nm), while the more old-school Ranger Raptor has 391 hp (282 kW) and 430 lb-ft (583 Nm) in Australian spec.

JAC says the 31.2 kWh battery offers up to 100 km (62 miles) of all-electric driving, and there’s a vehicle-to-load function, a handy feature that turns the truck into a mobile power source. What we don’t yet know: payload, towing capacity, or pricing, three figures that could make or break its appeal in a market that still prioritizes workhorse credentials.

2026 JAC Hunter

Foton Throws Its Hat in the Ring

Joining the JAC Hunter in Australia’s ever-growing pickup market are the Tunland V7 and Tunland V9 from Foton. The company is best known as a commercial truck maker but thinks it has what it takes to compete with the best with full-size pickups.

While many key specifications about the two Tunland models still remain under wraps, we know the standard V7 is being marketed as a “no-nonsense workhorse” while the V9 builds on it with more advanced suspension and luxurious, making it the better on-road performer. Sales of the V7 and V9 started in several overseas markets, including in South America, late last year.

Both Tunland models are powered by a 2.0-liter turbo-diesel engine with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system. They deliver 161 hp (120 kW) and 332 lb-ft (450 Nm) of torque. While full Australian specs haven’t been confirmed, it’s likely they’ll mirror those figures.

2026 Foton Tunland