Keeping pace with changing connectivity, convenience and comfort expectations
In the competitive automotive market, new technologies, safety standards and customer expectations are constantly changing. Keeping up often means improvement, even on existing, successful and popular models.
This is the reason why brands often ‘facelift’ vehicles. Instead of reinventing or dramatically changing in-demand and high-performing vehicles, mid-cycle updates are done, where manufacturers decide what could be improved and refined, as well as what to leave as is.
This is exactly what Jetour South Africa have done with their recently updated Dashing and X70 Plus models. First launched when the brand entered South Arica in September 2024, both models have now continued to evolve while retaining the core qualities and features of each.
“A vehicle facelift isn’t about fixing a vehicle that is problematic or faulty, but rather to ensure that a vehicle that customers already value continues to meet their expectations in a constantly changing automotive market,” says Rowen Naidoo, Product Manager, Jetour South Africa.
The facelifted Jetour Dashing retains its bold, urban-focused exterior styling with upgrades to the interior finishes, while adding a host of comfort and technology features. These include an eight-speaker Sony audio system, privacy glass, dual-zone climate control and a panoramic glass sunroof, with heated and ventilated front seats on the top-spec Prime derivative.
The newly upgraded Jetour X70 Plus comes with a more sophisticated exterior, including a redesigned front grille with brushed-aluminum accents and new 19-inch alloy wheels. Comfort on the interior has also been enhanced, as with the Dashing, including dual-zone climate control and heated and ventilated front seats available in the X70 Plus Prime model.
Performance has also been upgraded, in both the Dashing and X70 Plus, with the 1.5-litre turbocharged engine now producing 125kW and 270Nm, up from 115kW and 230Nm, and a new seven-speed dual-clutch transmission replacing the previous six-speed DCT.
Safety technology develops particularly quickly within the automotive sector. A vehicle that was competitively equipped when it first reached the market may face a very different benchmark only a few years later. Introducing a facelifted model also provides an opportunity to incorporate the latest driver-assistance technology. In both the Dashing and X70 Plus, the addition of Level 2 ADAS enhances safety and driver confidence by helping to anticipate potential hazards, maintain a safe following distance and keep the vehicle securely positioned on the road. Both vehicles also have a 540-degree panoramic view camera system.
With in-car technology evolving so rapidly, keeping pace with changing customer expectations is an important part of any model facelift. The updated Dashing and X70 Plus reflect this with a host of technology and comfort upgrades, including dual 10.25-inch displays, 50W wireless charging, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, ventilated, heated and memory front seats, and an eight-speaker Sony audio system.
As important as knowing what to upgrade, is knowing what not to change. A manufacturer does not want to change what made the car successful in the first place. In the case of the urban-focused Jetour Dashing, its distinctive design was already a key part of its popularity, so the facelift focused on subtly elevating its styling while introducing meaningful upgrades to its features, technology and comfort.
With 54% of X70 Plus owners to date being women aged 36 to 40, the vehicle’s generous space and family-friendly versatility remain central to its appeal. The upgraded model retains this practicality while enhancing the areas that matter most to modern families, including safety, comfort and technology.
“The most effective facelift will not necessarily be the one that changes the most,” adds Naidoo. “It will be the one that takes into account what customers need, want and value and updating features where the market, and competitors, have evolved”.
A manufacturer's own product range doesn't stand still either, with new models constantly being introduced. Here a facelift can help clarify the role of an established model within a growing portfolio and reduce overlap between vehicles.
The Dashing continues as the urban, style-led SUV while the seven-seat X70 Plus centres on family, lifestyle and space. Capability and adventure are now the primarily focus of Jetour’s T-Series, encompassing the T2 and T1 models launched in October last year, and the hybrid i-DM derivatives of each launched in April this year.
To keep these already successful models even more competitive, Jetour has introduced the refreshed Dashing and X70 Plus at a lower starting price than when the models first launched in South Africa in 2024.
For more information, go to www.jetour.co.za.
