Jetour T2 Facelift Leaked Ahead of Chengdu Motor Show – Round Headlights, Body-Coloured Styling and PHEV Powertrain Retained

The Jetour T2 is getting a significant visual refresh, and leaked images suggest the popular boxy SUV is about to take on a cleaner and more sophisticated appearance.

Ahead of its official appearance at the upcoming Chengdu Motor Show, images of the facelifted model have surfaced on Chinese social media, revealing several notable exterior changes. While the overall rugged silhouette remains familiar, Jetour appears to be moving the T2 towards a more refined design direction.

In China, the T2 is known as the Traveller, with the updated model reportedly set to carry the Traveller 7 name.

Despite the “7” designation, this isn’t a seven-seat version. The SUV remains a five-seater, with the name understood to help differentiate it from the new, more premium Traveller 8 that is also scheduled to make its debut in Chengdu.

Round headlights give the T2 a new identity

The biggest change can be seen at the front.

The current T2’s distinctive square headlights have reportedly been replaced by round headlamps, giving the SUV a more retro-inspired appearance while making its resemblance to the Land Rover Defender even more apparent.

The headlights are connected by a horizontal light strip across the front grille, while the JETOUR lettering has been repositioned onto the bonnet.

The result is a front-end design that looks less aggressive and more polished compared with the outgoing model, although the T2’s recognisable boxy proportions remain intact.

More body-coloured elements for a cleaner look

Jetour has also made substantial changes to the lower portion of the exterior.

The current model features a prominent unfinished black plastic bumper that extends outward from the body. On the facelifted version, this area appears to have been redesigned with a flush-mounted, body-coloured bumper.

The new bumper also features a larger central air intake, while some of the previous pseudo-off-road elements, including the decorative lights and tow hooks, appear to have been removed.

The move towards body-coloured components continues elsewhere on the SUV. The bonnet grab handles and wheel-arch flares now appear to be finished in the vehicle’s exterior colour, giving the T2 a more cohesive appearance.

At the rear, the bumper has also been redesigned and painted in body colour, accompanied by a simpler layout and revised auxiliary lighting.

PHEV powertrain reportedly remains

While the facelift brings considerable styling changes, the powertrain strategy appears to remain largely familiar.

According to reports from China, the updated T2 will continue to be offered with Jetour’s Chery Dual Mode (C-DM) plug-in hybrid system, known as i-DM in several overseas markets.

The PHEV setup combines a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 156 PS and 220 Nm with an electric motor generating 224 PS and 390 Nm. Together with a three-speed dedicated hybrid transmission, the system is capable of producing a reported 360 PS and 610 Nm in total.

For buyers looking for even more performance, a dual-motor all-wheel-drive version is also available, with output rising to 462 PS and 700 Nm.

Battery options reportedly include a 27.2 kWh LFP battery, providing up to 100 km of WLTP electric driving range, while a larger 43.24 kWh battery increases the claimed EV range to 160 km.

Petrol engines expected to continue

The facelifted T2 isn’t expected to abandon conventional petrol power either.

Existing petrol versions are reportedly set to continue with 1.5-litre and 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engines.

The 1.5-litre unit produces approximately 184 PS and 290 Nm, while the larger 2.0-litre turbocharged engine develops 254 PS and 390 Nm.

Both are paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

This means the refreshed T2 could continue offering customers multiple powertrain choices, ranging from conventional petrol power to a significantly more powerful plug-in hybrid configuration.

A more mature T2 without losing its rugged character

The facelift appears to be less about completely reinventing the T2 and more about refining what already made the SUV popular.

The boxy proportions, upright stance and adventure-oriented character remain, but the new circular headlights and increased use of body-coloured exterior elements give the SUV a noticeably more sophisticated appearance.

Whether customers prefer the current rugged black-clad styling or the cleaner facelifted design will ultimately come down to personal taste. However, the updated T2 certainly looks ready to enter a new phase of its life.

With the Traveller 7 and Traveller 8 both heading to the Chengdu Motor Show, Jetour appears to be expanding its SUV family while giving its established T2 a visual refresh rather than replacing it outright.

For markets where the T2 is already gaining attention, the bigger question will be whether this facelifted version eventually makes its way into international markets — and whether the i-DM PHEV powertrain will be part of the package.