A Pet-Friendly SUV
Pet-friendly vehicles have largely been relegated to concept exercises; there really hasn’t been a concerted push to develop, build, and sell cars that cater to people who love their pets like their own children.
Jaecoo, a spin-off brand that’s under the Chinese megaautomaker Chery umbrella, just took the brief seriously. Reported by CarExpert, the brand got certification from the German transport authority TUV SUD, which is one of the stricter bodies in the world when it comes to certification.
According to the report, Jaecoo has developed a unique seat material for the J5 SUV. This material is designed to be both antibacterial and scratch-resistant.
Rigorous Testing and feedback
Any type of certification process will obviously require proper and stringent testing. In Jaecoo’s case, this new pet-friendly material went through 32 separate laboratory tests to confirm its capabilities and durability.
Jaecoo is proud of its new certification as a pet-friendly brand. In fact, during an exclusive interview with CarExpert, Shawn Xu, CEO of Jaecoo, said, “Jaecoo is a brand for outdoors people, and they must enjoy this with their friends, their children, and also their pets. This is what Jaecoo means for everyone, including dogs. We are number one with this.”
What makes this interesting is that Jaecoo seemingly listened to direct feedback from a customer. Xu detailed how the idea came about on a trip to Poland last year, where he encountered a couple looking for a car big enough to fit their dog.
That conversation created a lightbulb moment for the CEO, who then returned to China and asked how they could cater to that segment. The result speaks for itself: after numerous hours of research and development, a new organic silicon seat material exists not only for pets but also against the elements.
Pets and Cars
While the Jaecoo J5 seats are one of the first truly pet-centric car features, most automakers have been in touch with the pet-loving community, while also subtly adding small things here and there to make pet transportation easier for owners. Most features include a low trunk entry, larger boot space, and pet-safe tie-down straps.
In a world where pet ownership is taking on a more central role among the new generation of car buyers, Jaecoo might have tapped a sleeping but lucrative market.
Bentley
