Omoda Jaecoo’s largest – though not its most expensive – SUV in Australia is getting a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain and a seven-seat layout.

The Jaecoo J8 SHS is arriving in dealerships this month, available only in a single Summit trim priced at $59,990 before on-road costs.

That places it atop the local Jaecoo J8 lineup, with the petrol-powered front-wheel drive Track priced at $49,990 drive-away and the all-wheel drive Ridge at $54,990 drive-away.

The SHS borrows its PHEV powertrain from the Omoda 9, currently Omoda Jaecoo Australia’s priciest model at $61,990 plus on-roads.

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This powertrain is also shared with the related Chery Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid, which is priced at an identical $59,990 plus on-roads in top Ultimate trim.

This means a 105kW/215Nm turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine mated with 75kW/170Nm, 90kW/220Nm and 175kW/310Nm electric motors, as well as a three-speed dedicated hybrid transmission and a 34kWh nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery.

Omoda Jaecoo claims total combined outputs of 315kW of power and 580Nm of torque, and a total driving range of over 1000km.

Electric-only range is 169km on the more lenient NEDC cycle, with combined fuel consumption of 1.2L/100km. The battery can be charged at up to 70kW on a DC fast-charger.

The J8 SHS can tow up to 1600kg with a braked trailer, up 100kg on the related Chery Tiggo 9.

Omoda Jaecoo claims an identical 738 litre of boot space to the petrol J8 with the third-row seatbacks folded flat. This drops to 200L with the third row in use.

Standard equipment for the Jaecoo J8 SHS includes:

• 20-inch alloy wheels
• Projector LED headlights
• Power tailgate
• Panoramic sunroof with power sunshade
• Head-up display
• 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
• 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• 14-speaker Sony sound system
• 50W wireless phone charger
• Heated, ventilated and massaging front seats
• Colour-adjustable ambient lighting

Specification differences between the J8 SHS and the identically priced Chery Tiggo 9 Ultimate are minor. The J8 gets an eight-way (instead of six-way) power driver’s seat, as well as adaptive dampers and a built-in fragrance system, though it doesn’t include the Tiggo 9’s semi-autonomous parking assist feature on its spec sheet.

Confusingly, the J8 is actually called the Chery Tiggo 9 in China. The vehicles have identical underpinnings and almost identical dimensions, though they differ in interior and exterior styling.

This means the Tiggo 9 has a different dashboard, with a larger 15.6-inch (instead of 12.3-inch) infotainment touchscreen. An updated version of the Chery-badged Jaecoo J8 in China, revealed earlier this year, swaps these for a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and a huge 30-inch 6K ultra-high-definition screen with a thin bezel.

Local release timing for the refreshed model has yet to be announced.

As with the petrol J8, the J8 SHS comes with an eight-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty and eight years of capped-price servicing, both a year longer than for the Chery, while the high-voltage battery gets an eight-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty of its own, matching the Chery.

To the end of May, Omoda Jaecoo has delivered 292 examples of its (until now) petrol-only Jaecoo J8, against 799 examples of the PHEV-only Chery Tiggo 9.

The two Chinese plug-in hybrid SUVs face competition from the BYD Sealion 8, Kia Sorento and Mazda CX-80, all of which also offer PHEV power and three rows of seating.

MORE: Explore the Jaecoo J8 showroom