At the tail end of 2025, the Salvador Caetano Group helped JMC relaunch in our market. If you do not know, JMC (Jiangling Motors Corporation) is a major Chinese commercial vehicle manufacturer that aims to offer durable yet affordable bakkies and trucks that will be placing a large focus on value for commercial /work-focused buyers with strong warranties and a growing support network.
The first vehicle being introduced is the Vigus bakkie , which will be available in double cab or single cab offerings. A significant talking point is that the Vigus uses Ford-sourced turbodiesel engines, primarily a 2.5L 4-cylinder Puma engine that produces 103 kW / 310 Nm via a 5-speed manual for single cabs, while the double cab receives a bit more power from a 2.0L 4-cylinder Puma that produces 104 kW / 350 Nm via an 8-speed automatic.
From launch, you will have the Vigus in either entry-level Plus grade or top-of-the-range Pro grades. As the year commences, you will be introduced to this variant of the Vigus bakkie, which was on show as a homologation unit. It might be a bit different when it launches locally, but we hope they keep this spec.
On the looks end, the Vigus gets quite an unmistakable face that features a twin grille design, with the lower part being bigger than the upper part. There are LED daytime running lights on either side of the grille, surrounding the fog lights.
The side profile has side steps for easy entry as the car is 1835 mm tall.
Going on the rear side the car is quite simple in terms of design as it consist of some JMC badging and it features a rubberized loading-bay which has a payload capacity of approximately 815 kg to over 850 kg.
The interior is a very solid and tactile space that consists of many hard plastics that seem to be made for durability rather than to be aesthetically pleasing. Not bad at all, since you have leather seats all around.
For infotainment, you have a Dodge RAM-styled portrait 9.7-inch touchscreen infotainment system that is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto wirelessly. The driver has a two-spoke leather-wrapped multifunction steering wheel, while some other cabin features include a reverse camera, rear parking sensors, cruise control, electric windows, and automatic air conditioning.
JMC had an ideal scenario set up to drive and properly experience the vehicle, from a road test to feel just how it drives on normal roads to a game drive at a game lodge that led up to a light off-roading course designed to showcase the capabilities of the Vigus.
The chassis of the vehicles gains a lot of good mechanics, as you must note that JMC has a longstanding agreement and multifaceted relationships with both Isuzu and Bosch, primarily focused on technical collaboration, joint ventures, and component supply for its commercial vehicles. This should put one at ease that not only is the car built for more, but it is capable and durable. The chassis of the Vigus is a ladder-frame, body-on-frame design that is paired with a double-wishbone setup , featuring independent front suspension and leaf-spring rear suspension.
The off-road course had many tricky steeps, inclines, boulders, and muddy terrains; however, the Vigus showed big character as we piloted these vehicles under the supervision of professionals, of course, and the car made it look easy. Here, we used the 4X4 system, which has a BorgWarner transfer case that allows for electronic shifting between 2WD and 4WD modes (2H, 4H, 4L) and the Hill Descent mode, which manages the car and helps prevent toppling over.
Some more figures that certify that you can take the car off-road is that the car has an approach Angle of around 27° to 28°, departure angle of around 22° to 25°(Ground Clearance: Up to 235mm).
As far as pricing is concerned, the Vigus is well on its way to wearing the badge of being SA's cheapest bakkie. This is how it stands:
Vigus 2.4 SC 4X2 - R299 900
Vigus 2.0 DC 4X2 - R439 900
Vigus 2.0 DC 4X4 - R499 900
The prices above include a 5-year/100 000 km warranty.