Jaecoo SA partners with Olympic gold medalist Caster Semenya

Olympic gold medalist Caster Semenya has partnered with Jaecoo South Africa as new brand ambassador for the Chinese marque’s plug-in hybrid J7.

Caster Semenya with the Jaecoo J7 SHS

Image: Jaecoo

Jaecoo South Africa has announced it has partnered with Olympian Caster Semenya, who will serve as brand ambassador for the Chinese automaker’s flagship J7, the J7 SHS (Super Hybrid System).

“I love the J7’s style. It’s sleek, spacious, and packed with advanced safety features, which is especially important for me as a parent,” said the two-time Olympic gold medalist. “For someone like me with kids and a family, it just fits perfectly.”

Semenya admitted that, before getting behind the wheel of the new-energy J7, which we evaluated for a road test in 2025, she had her reserves about the quality of Chinese vehicles. “I was one of those people who had preconceived notions about Chinese cars not being of a certain quality.” However, Semenya said the J7 SHS proved her wrong. “The J7 SHS is one of the best driving experiences I’ve ever had,” she said.

Semenya also lauded the range-topping J7’s infotainment system, interior space, and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain. As a reminder, the latter pairs a 105 kW/215 N.m 1.5-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with a single (150 kW/310 N.m) electric motor, fed by an 18.3 kWh battery pack, for a combined system output of 255 kW and 525 N.m of torque. Jaecoo claims an electric-only operating range of 90 km and a combined driving range of 1 200 km.

Speaking about the J7 SHS’s PHEV setup, Semenya said, “It’s shown me that I can have my cake and eat it too. The electric range is great for my daily drives, and the petrol engine handles the longer trips.”

Browse thousands of new and used vehicles here with CARmag! 

The post Jaecoo SA partners with Olympic gold medalist Caster Semenya appeared first on CAR Magazine.


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