Chinese PHEV Jetour G700 Ark Edition does what no car has done before and sails across a lake

Chinese automaker Jetour just unveiled the G700 Ark Edition, a hybrid vehicle that can actually swim.

This feature is a lot more than just an equivalent to Tesla’s ‘Wade Mode’ as it almost turns the car into an actual boat.

It uses propellers and a stabilization system to effectively turn the SUV into a watercraft.

But there’s an inevitable disclaimer.

This feature shouldn’t be abused or misused

The problem with this feature is that may make people think the car is basically a boat, but it isn’t.

There are always unknown unknowns that could get you in trouble.

And the automaker knows it.

Whenever manufacturers launch a new and sort of ‘out-there’ feature, they immediately adorn the launch with a fruit salad of disclaimers and fine print.

They’re telling you it works, but they’re also telling you whatever happens if drivers misuses them is on them.

It’s a very tight rope, and it’s difficult to navigate.

For example, Tesla says the Cybertruck can wade shallow streams and creeks up to 32 inches, but still makes it clear that whatever happens to the truck in this situation is not covered by the warranty.

Now this Chinese manufacturer took things two or three steps further, which brings questions.

Can the Jetour swim?

Jetour took ‘Wade Mode‘ to the next level by fitting the G700 Ark Edition – we see what they did there – with electrically powered propellers.

The YangWang U8 can float, but the G700 Ark Edition can actually swim.

Last week, the G700 Ark Edition completed a public crossing of Yanqi Lake north of Beijing.

The SUV wasn’t floating; it was ‘sailing’ under its own steam.

The Ark Edition is a hybrid vehicle, and it runs the same powertrain as the standard G700: a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with two electric motors for combined 892 hp.

This powers the G700 to 62 mph from standstill in 4.6 seconds, and the range with a full tank is 1,400 km – or 870 miles.

On water, the engine and motors of this hybrid vehicle stop driving the wheels entirely and redirect power to the propellers, and there’s also a stabilization system that keeps the body level without leaning too much to one side or the other.

For now, this is a marketing stunt: the Chinese automaker explicitly notes this is meant as an ’emergency feature’ for flash floods rather than daily boat use.

But before production kicks off and people actually start using this feature, we’re sure Jetour is going to provide a very long list of ‘yes, but’ clauses.