Triesenburg Auto Corp. (TAC), the official distributor of JAC passenger and light commercial vehicles in the Philippines, unveiled last Sunday its contender in the uber-popular compact crossover genre, the all-new S4.
Held through a live public Facebook streaming, the S4 launch featured talks and presentations from various executives from JAC Motors International HQ in China. These included Davide Zhang (General Manager), Kong DeXing (Head of JAC Overseas Automobile Research Institute), Brian Li (Head of JAC Design Center). Zhang talked about JAC Motors International as a company and its future plans. DeXing elaborated on the technology behind the S4 while Li discussed the design inspiration and how the S4 was conceptualized.
From the TAC Side, Dan Rudolph Navarro, Group General Manager, handled the product reveal while Brian Badilla, Marketing and Sales Director, discussed the technology and innovation behind the vehicle vis a vis the competition.
The JAC S4 will be available in four variants: the base Luxury with a 6-speed manual (P878,000) or CVT (P928,000), midrange Intelligent with CVT (P998,000), and top-of-the-line Ultimate with CVT (P1,098,000).
The JAC S4 is powered by a 147hp/210Nm 1.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine with i-VVT technology. It adopts a low-inertia turbocharger for improved power and quick response. It’s mated to a fuel economy-enhancing 6-speed manual or Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT).
The SMART features of the JAC S4 work together to provide a great driving experience. It starts with the Intuitive Touch Control Panel on the dashboard that eliminates the buttons and knobs for the AC control and other functions of the vehicle. The 10.25” multimedia touchscreen connects wirelessly to any smartphone. The touchscreen also controls various features of the vehicle such as cornering lamps, vehicle positioning lighting, and so many more.
The JAC S4 also got rid of the usual cluster gauges for the tachometer and speedometer and placed an interactive 10.25” LED instrument panel. This smart feature is animated and provides three different views. It also has a Smart Entry and Push Start System. The electric tailgate will be heaven-sent for those carrying heavy loads as it can be operated through the remote key or through the foot sensor under the bumper.
Aside from being smart, the JAC S4 is also committed to keeping its passengers safe. The S4 uses Volkswagen’s VDA quality system giving it that trusted German quality. Aside from front dual airbags, the S4 also has front side airbags and side curtains. It also has Front Collision Warning (aside from the usual ABS and EBD functions) plus Blind Spot Monitoring, Electronic Stability Control, Hill-Start Assist, Brake Override System, Lane Departure Warning and so many more.
The teams from JAC’s R&D center in Turin, Italy and Tokyo, Japan jointly carried out the exterior and interior styling and color material design work. The front uses an individualized wing grille and the body uses a mix of angular and straight-line designs. Other elements such as the double waistline that looks like a drawn bow, sharp-eyed headlights, trendy ridge-type LED taillights, the tail line that is gradually widened from top to bottom, the two-color sports wheel hubs, and the suspended roof and shark-fin windowline give this car its eye-catching style.