Chinese brand JMC revived in South Africa

It’s official: Chinese brand JMC is returning to South Africa, set to relaunch later in 2025 with the Vigus bakkie, followed by the new Ford-powered Grand Avenue…

Yes, another Chinese brand is making a comeback in South Africa. Jiangling Motors Corporation (JMC) is due to return to the market later in 2025, this time distributed locally by Salvador Caetano Auto SA (the company that’s also responsible for GAC Motor in Mzansi).

Having once offered both passenger cars (like the Landwind) and light-commercial vehicles (such as the Vigus) locally, JMC will mark its return with products in the latter category. The Chinese marque is set to reintroduce itself to South Africans with the current-generation Vigus bakkie before the end of the year.

The next-generation Vigus is planned for a local launch – in both single- and double-cab guise – in early 2026, with the Grand Avenue double-cab bakkie also confirmed. The Carrying Plus, meanwhile, looks set to play in the medium-commercial vehicle space.

Though Salvador Caetano Auto SA has yet to reveal specific details about its dealership plans, it says local customers can expect a “renewed, reliable and service-focused distribution and support network”.

Back in June 2024, Cars.co.za discovered trademark filings that suggested the JMC Grand Avenue could be on its way to SA. At that time, WilGin Holdings (which incidentally distributes DFSK products locally) had taken over the parts, servicing and warranty responsibilities of the JMC brand in Mzansi.

We found that in July 2023, JMC’s head office in Nanchang had applied to register the “Grand Avenue” badge here in South Africa, with the application accepted in May 2024 and the trademark advertised in June 2024 (and subsequently registered in November last year). JMC’s head office in China also renewed its “Vigus” trademark in SA in January 2024.

Available exclusively in double-cab form, the Grand Avenue measures 5 450 mm from nose to tail and has a wheelbase of 3 270 mm. While that makes it 100 mm longer than a Ford Ranger double cab, the JMC’s wheelbase is exactly the same as that of the Blue Oval bakkie.

For the record, JMC builds the Chinese-spec Ranger at its Xiaolan assembly plant (the same production site of the Grand Avenue, we suspect) as part of its joint venture with the Dearborn-based automotive giant. In addition, the Ford Territory currently offered in South Africa is also built by JMC, though at its Fushan facility.

In China, the Grand Avenue is produced in both petrol and diesel form, each available in 4×2 and 4×4 guise. The petrol engine is a version of Ford’s turbocharged 2.3-litre, 4-cylinder EcoBoost unit, which in (detuned) JMC guise offers 180 kW and 400 Nm through either a Getrag (MT82) 6-speed manual gearbox or a ZF-supplied 8-speed automatic transmission.

There’s also a 2.3-litre, 4-cylinder turbodiesel motor that JMC describes as the 5th generation of Ford’s “Puma” engine series (though its displacement of 2 296 cc doesn’t quite line up with any Blue Oval mills we can find). This oil-burning powerplant churns out 130 kW, while peak torque is listed as 400 Nm for the manual model and 450 Nm in the case of the self-shifting version.