Two regional launches in a year
| Date | Milestone in Panama | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | JETOUR arrives with Petromotors as distributor | National |
| May 14, 2025 | JETOUR T1 launch at the Panama Convention Center | Regional: starting point for eleven markets |
| June 2025 | New workshops, a store in Costa del Este and the arrival of SOUEAST | National |
| September 2025 | Opening of the David branch, in Chiriquí | National |
| May 20, 2026 | JETOUR G700 launch and expedition to Volcán Barú | Regional |
| October 2 to 11, 2026 | Panama Motor Show | National, with more than 40 brands |
Sources: PR Newswire, Octanos Media and Petromotors.
In its international statement on the T1, JETOUR defined Panama as one of the brand’s most important markets in Central and South America and announced investment in technical support, training and the service network. A year later it described the Panama launch of the G700 as a central step in its Latin American expansion.
Why Panama
Connectivity
The Canal, the ports of Balboa and Colón on both oceans and the Colón Free Zone, the largest free trade zone in the hemisphere, make the country a natural distribution point for the Caribbean, Central America and northern South America. A model that reaches Panama can be redistributed to the region without crossing the Pacific again.
A record market
60,233 new cars in 2025, 10.8% more than in 2024, and an ADAP projection close to 70,000 units in 2026. It is a small market in volume compared with Mexico or Brazil, but with the highest income per capita in Central America.
A buyer open to new brands
Almost one in three new cars sold in 2026 is of Chinese origin, up from one in four a year earlier. What works in Panama usually works later in the rest of Central America.
A regional fair
ADAP’s Panama Motor Show gathers more than 40 brands every October at the Panama Convention Center in Amador, with press and distributors from across the region.
The strategy from the inside
JETOUR arrived in 2023 and in three years became the sixth brand in the market, according to ADAP reports: 1,264 units in 2024, 1,999 in 2025 (+58%) and 45% growth in the first half of 2026. Its distributor, Petromotors, expanded the network with workshops, a store in Costa del Este and a branch in David, and in 2025 added the group’s second brand, SOUEAST. The sequence is the one brands using Panama as a platform follow: first network and after-sales, then regional launches.
The same logic explains why JETOUR presents its models in Panama before larger markets. In 2026 the brand is the fastest growing in Mexico (+288% to August), sits in Peru’s top five and is growing 84% in Chile, but the regional premieres for Central and South America went through Amador.
What Panama gains
- Investment in technical training and workshops, which stays in the country.
- Regional press and brand executives present at every launch.
- Early access to models that reach the rest of the region months later, as happened with the G700.
Frequently asked questions
Why do car brands launch their models in Panama?
Because of the logistics of the Canal, the ports and the Colón Free Zone; a record new car market with more than 60,000 units a year; a buyer open to new brands; and the Panama Motor Show, which gathers more than 40 brands every October.
Which models did JETOUR premiere in Panama for the region?
The T1, on May 14, 2025, as the starting point for eleven Latin American markets, and the G700, on May 20, 2026, ahead of Guatemala and Mexico.
Who distributes JETOUR in Panama?
Petromotors, official distributor of JETOUR and SOUEAST, with branches in Panama City and David, Chiriquí.
Related articles
- JETOUR G700: the SUV that crossed the Yangtze and climbed Volcán Barú
- Best-selling car brands in Panama: the ADAP ranking
- What Panama exports: products and markets
Sources
- PR Newswire, JETOUR T1 launches in Panama.
- Octanos Media, JETOUR launches the new T1 in Panama.
- Octanos Media, JETOUR expands in Panama with new workshops.
- PR Newswire, G700 launch in Mexico.
- El CEO, JETOUR in Mexico (AMDA data).
- Petromotors, news and branches.
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