If you’ve been unable to sleep at night, consumed with worry that we don’t have enough Chinese utes in the Australian market, you’ll be relieved to hear Foton will re-enter the market in 2025 with the Tunland V7 and V9.
These new utes will arrive on the back-end of the Foton Aumark S truck (similar to the Isuzu NPR), which hits our shores in the fourth quarter of this year.
The utes appear to be similar in size to the GWM Cannon Alpha – or larger – with one sharing an uncanny resemblance to the Ford F-150 in its front end treatment, and the other appearing to be heavily inspired by the RAM 1500, in our opinion.
Powertrain details are scant, but a mild-hybrid version exists overseas. This comprises of a 2.5-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder with a 48V starter-generator and an eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox. A PHEV model exists, too.
The interior looks quite plush, with a very large touch-screen and all the requisite infotainment features expected in this day and age.
The Foton Tunland has been on sale in Australia before, debuting in 2013 with a Cummins 2.8-litre turbo-diesel engine and a five-speed manual. A successor was set to launch in 2021 but this never occurred.
These new utes appear significantly larger than the old Tunland. It will join the new LDV T60, GWM Cannon, JAC T9, Chery ute, and possibly Geely’s Radar RD6 electric ute as part of a growing number of Chinese utes on sale in Australia.
