Jaecoo J8 facelift in China – badged Chery Tiggo 9, gains massive touchscreen, 261 PS 2.0T 4-cylinder

Launched in Malaysia just last year, the Jaecoo J8 is set to get a massive facelift ahead of the Auto China show in Beijing next month. Except it won’t be badged as a Jaecoo – instead, it will be known as the Chery Tiggo 9, as it has been for the past three years.

This car is not to be confused with the Tiggo 9 that we’ll be getting, which is offered in China as the Tiggo 9X (also, bizarrely, as the Tiggo 8L). Anyway, it gets a new front fascia with a more upright rectangular grille, the latter featuring more ornate vertical slats.

This is flanked by larger headlights with dual-L daytime running lights, as well as being framed by a black surround that reaches outwards towards the bumper corners, similar to the Tiggo Cross. Chrome accents help give the car a more upscale air.

At the rear, you’ll find thicker full-width taillights that push the number plate recess into the bumper, with the large Chery script taking its place. Finishing off the look are larger (and likely still fake) trapezoidal exhaust tips and a new multi-spoke wheel design.

Chery hasn’t provided any official interior images, but Autohome has already shot plenty of photos, revealing a mostly new cabin. Gone is the Mercedes-Benz-aping dashboard, replaced by a minimalist design that takes after many a Chinese SUV, with slimmer and sleeker air vents and a tall centre console continuing to house twin phone holders (one of which is still a Qi wireless charger) and open (previously lidded) twin cupholders.

The big news is that the freestanding widescreen display panel has been ditched. There’s still a large instrument display, but the infotainment touchscreen is now a massive single piece that extends to the passenger side, allowing the other front occupant to watch videos and the like. This is similar to what is found on the Mazda CX-6e.

Also fitted is a new two-spoke steering wheel from the Omoda C7, plus threaded connectors for attaching accessories such as a phone holder, similar to the latest Proton X50. The seats are also now quilted, and the front passenger pew has become a “queen seat” with a built-in ottoman and a one-touch “zero gravity” recline function. As before, the Tiggo 9 is available with two or three rows of seats, with a maximum of seven.

Autohome also reports that the car’s 2.0 litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine has been retuned to produce 261 PS and 400 Nm of torque, up from 249 PS and 385 Nm. The J8’s eight-speed automatic transmission and choice of front- or all-wheel drive should also be carried over.

Given Jaecoo’s traditionally long lead times for bringing new models into Malaysia, expect the facelifted J8 to come next year at the earliest. It also remains to be seen whether the massive display will be brought over, as there has been instances of cars that had such screens in China (such as the GWM Wey G9) being shipped without them for exports.

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