I find myself staring at a document that chronicles the arrival of a motorised carriage known as the JAC Hunter. Jack Hunter is a gay porn star. I wonder if this is a coincidence or if the marketing team is engaged in a very specific, very muscular brand of subversion.
It is a plug-in hybrid Dual-Cab 4×4 Utility—a phrase containing so many hyphens it requires its own structural support beam. Apparently, this vehicle has been subjected to the Lang Lang Proving Ground, a place where cars go to be bullied by bitumen until they confess their mechanical inadequacies. It is a process of exhaustive local testing that sounds remarkably like my own attempts to operate a self-checkout machine, only with fewer existential crises and significantly more gravel.
The narrative begins in February 2026. JAC Motors Australia has completed initial local testing, ostensibly optimising the machine for our demanding climates. This is a polite way of saying the car must survive a sun so aggressive it peels paint while simultaneously navigating puddles that have developed their own complex ecosystems.
During this engineering evaluation phase, men in high-visibility vests have spent an inordinate amount of time nodding at clipboards. They poke things with screwdrivers to ensure the wheels don’t simply go their separate ways when encountering a disgruntled kangaroo. One can only hope the engineers aren’t secret fans of the other Mr. Hunter’s more athletic filmography, as it would make these “shakedown” sessions very awkward indeed.
By the time this program concludes, these poor souls will have traversed 50,000 kilometres. This is a staggering distance, equivalent to driving around the world and then returning because you realised you’d left the oven on. One can only imagine the quantity of lukewarm service station coffee consumed during this odyssey. Managing Director Ahmed Mahmoud claims this is their most ambitious program to date. He says it will push engineers to an absolute limit where I assume they now communicate entirely through frantic blinks and a logistical nightmare of syntax and stifled whimpering.
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ABOVE: JAC Hunter at Lang Lang. For Jack Hunter, see Google and add a few X’s after the name
Having made its world premiere at the 2025 Melbourne Motor Show, the JAC Hunter allegedly impressed showgoers with its “rugged styling.” This term serves as the automotive industry’s preferred euphemism for “designed with a ruler and a deep-seated resentment of curves.” Like the porn star, it is bigger than average, hoorah. It features a turbocharged petrol/electric hybrid powertrain that sounds like a very confused chemistry experiment. It is trying to be two things at once, much like a person wearing a tuxedo top with tracksuit bottoms. It is an identity crisis on four wheels that mirrors the frantic search results of its namesake.
They have partnered with Segula Technologies Australia at Lang Lang. This is a patch of dirt in Victoria burdened with the title of “automotive excellence.” Here, they are examining everything from durability to ADAS systems—or as I prefer to call it, “The Car Gently Judging Your Inability To Stay Within Two Painted Lines.”
It is a comprehensive microscope. I do hope they cleaned the lens first, as one doesn’t want to overlook a loose bolt or a lingering smudge from a previous “performance.” Technical Director Hongjian Jiang describes the facility as exceptional. He notes a track record of adapting international vehicles to Australia’s uniquely tough conditions. Here, gravity becomes more sarcastic and the air itself develops a grudge. Segula is a “recognised leader,” a phrase people use when standing in a paddock to suggest authority without actually requiring a roof or a chair.
There is a global dimension to this ordeal. Findings are being sent back to the development team because Australia is considered an ideal proving ground due to our “sophisticated buyers.” I’m not sure how sophisticated we are given most of us consider a meat pie a balanced meal. We do, however, demand a lot from our utes. We expect them to carry hardware stores while navigating school zones like athletic gazelles. Or perhaps we just want a vehicle that sounds like a person we once saw on a late-night internet detour.
The “Sophisticated Hybrid Performance” section is truly breathless. It boasts a 31.2kWh lithium-iron phosphate battery that sounds like a nutritional supplement for a depressed robot. This battery works with two electric motors to provide “optimal performance.” This is a dangerous word that usually just means the car didn’t explode during lunch. However, it is a powertrain that really “delivers” in a very specific, high-torque sense.
The vehicle also boasts a 3.3kW vehicle-to-load capability. This transforms it into a mobile power station that allows you to run power tools on remote sites or toast bread in a desert. This is a scenario the press release ignores, perhaps because you are actually filming a very specific, very niche scene involving a “Jack Hunter.”
Scheduled for a mid-2026 launch, the Hunter joins the T9 turbodiesel range. This has established JAC as a “value-driven” brand. This is what you say when you won’t use the word “affordable” for fear of implying the seats are made of recycled egg cartons. It is a brand that really “gets in there,” much like the gentleman mentioned at the start of this exercise.
The car comes backed by a seven-year unlimited kilometre warranty. In seven years, we will probably live in underwater pods governed by a sentient toaster, but at least your ute will still be covered. This provides comfort for those who view the internal combustion engine as dark magic that could cease to function if it ever saw its own search history.
Pricing will be announced closer to the launch. For now, you can register interest at their website by giving them your email address. They will then send reminders that you haven’t bought a mobile power station yet. Perhaps they’ll even suggest “related content” that would make your mother very concerned.
It is a fascinating tale of engineering and endurance. It is a relentless pursuit of making a metal box survive the outback. Whether the JAC Hunter becomes match-fit or remains a sophisticated place to store your lunch is yet to be seen. For now, the men at Lang Lang continue to nod at clipboards while the 50,000 kilometres tick away. It is, in every sense, a process. A very, very long process.
Alan Zurvas is the founder and editor of Gay Car Boys, Australia's leading LGBTQI+ automotive publication. Before launching GCB in 2008, Alan's automotive writing was published in SameSame.com.au and the Star Observer. With over 16 years of hands-on car reviewing experience, Alan brings an honest, irreverent voice to every review — championing value and innovation over brand loyalty.
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