The Automobile Association (AA) has challenged the revised payload ratings of Jetour’s T1 and T2 SUVs after weighbridge testing found that one T2 derivative fell below the automaker’s stated 475kg capacity.
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The testing was conducted at the Clayville Testing Centre in Gauteng, with the AA and National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) present, according to the AA.
The AA said the tests found payload variances of between 455kg and 538kg across five T1 and T2 derivatives.
The T2 Xplora 2.0T recorded the lowest figure, with a reported payload variance of 455kg, 20kg below the 475kg rating that Jetour announced in August.
AA questions revised ratings
The AA has questioned how Jetour’s payload rating could increase from the original 300kg figure to 475kg without mechanical, structural or component changes to the vehicles.
Jetour previously said the revised 475kg rating was approved by the NRCS and applied to relevant T1 and T2 vehicles in both new and existing vehicles. It also said no mechanical, structural or component changes were required because the revised rating related to the vehicles in their existing configuration.
The AA has raised concerns about whether the higher rating can be applied without further attention to the vehicles’ structural integrity.
It has asked Jetour for clarity on the T2 Xplora test result and advised owners to take the reported rating into account when loading their vehicles.
Dispute over T1 approval
The AA also says the NRCS has confirmed that Jetour’s application for the revised T1 payload rating remains in the approval process.
If confirmed, this would differ from Jetour South Africa’s August statement that the 475kg rating applied to the relevant T1 and T2 model range following approval obtained from the NRCS. Jetour also said the revised rating applied to existing vehicles falling within the approved model range and specifications.
The AA further says no solution has yet been reached with road traffic authorities for updating the licensing records of existing T1 and T2 vehicles to reflect the revised gross vehicle mass figures.
Jetour said in August that it was engaging with the relevant local licensing authorities on the increased payload capacity of existing vehicles.
AA calls for further testing
The AA has called for the NRCS to conduct independent testing of the revised payload ratings and has questioned the regulator's use of global laboratory reports in the approval process.
The association also wants the NRCS and bodies such as the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to undertake more local homologation testing of vehicles entering the South African market.
The reported payload figures were:
- T1 Odyssey 2.0TD: 538kg
- T1 PHEV 1.5T: 508kg
- T2 Odyssey 2.0T: 500kg
- T2 PHEV 1.5T: 478kg
- T2 Xplora 2.0T: 455kg
That is much more digestible and keeps the numbers that actually matter.
The figures and the AA's interpretation of the testing have been provided by the association. The testing does not, on its own, establish that the vehicles are unsafe or that
