Rock-crushing Mengshi M-Hero 4x4 mooted for Oz

Yet another major Chinese car-maker, Dongfeng, is investigating an Australian sales offensive with one of its biggest and most capable off-roaders, the Toyota LandCruiser-size Mengshi M-Hero 917.

Bristling with high-tech gadgets and kitted out with a lavish interior, the M-Hero 4x4 is propelled by battery-electric or range-extending hybrid powertrains good for up to 800kW of power.

And carsales can confirm the company has already had discussions with Australian conversion companies – namely the Walkinshaw Group – to import low volumes of the hard-core off-roader for local right-hand drive conversion.

A representative for Dongfeng, the state-owned parent company of Mengshi, told carsales the brand is only building left-hand drive models at present but is keen to get vehicles into the Aussie marketplace.

“We have talked about how to try to do right-hand drive,” he told carsales at the Beijing motor show, confirming that export markets for the off-road SUV brand were very much on the agenda.

“I think it’s possible because the modifying company from Australia, Walkinshaw, who worked for Holden and Toyota, they help us [understand the process involved] to try and make it for the right-hand drive [market].

“It’s still a long time [off] but this is what we consider,” confirmed the Dongfeng spokesman.

After spending time poking around the Mengshi M-Hero 917 at the Beijing show, we can confirm the big unit is a genuine mud-plugger, with considerable ground clearance, large all-terrain tyres, front and rear locking differentials, an electric winch, recovery hooks, bash plates and more.

Unlike conventional 4x4s, it uses electric motors and doesn’t have a low-range transfer case, but the company claims it delivers similar if not better off-road traction using software to control wheel speed.

“We’ve got one motor in front and two motors in the rear but they are separate, there is no central differential or connection – electrically controlled by the software instead. But we have one [diff] locker in the front and one in the rear,” he said.

The mud-plugging 4x4 would almost certainly be a $100,000-plus proposition in Australia, with the cost of moving the steering wheel from the left to the right side of the M-Hero adding considerable expense.

“For this one, 600,000 yuan ($A130,000),” said the auto executive, pointing to the hybrid version (pictured here).

However, that particular model appears to be the top-spec flagship rather than the entry-level price-leader.

Like Hummer in the US, Mengshi justifies its high price with its military heritage. The brand supplies armoured vehicles to the People’s Liberation Army.

Previous models released by Dongfeng’s off-road brand include the M18, a classic Hummer knock-off, and its M50 ute sibling, both of which had 4.0-litre diesel engines.

Mengshi is one of Dongfeng’s many vehicle brands and the M-Hero 917 is a large off-road SUV roughly the same size as a Toyota LandCruiser, measuring 4987mm long and 2080mm wide.

The richly-equipped bush-basher has a lavish interior with huge digital screens and the perhaps the thickest gear shifter in recent memory, adding a dominant military aesthetic to the cabin.

Cushy power-operated, heated, cooled and leather-clad seats are part of the package, naturally.

The hulking five-seat 4WD will compete against the new Mercedes-Benz G 580 EV, BYD Yangwang U8 and the V6 hybrid-powered GWM Tank 700, and is offered with two powertrains.

The first is a pure-electric system comprising four e-motors that belt out a combined 800kW/1400Nm and can perform a Hummer-like crab walk.

Despite weighing more than three tonnes, the Chinese colossus is claimed to accelerate to 100km/h in 4.2 seconds and has a top speed of 195km/h.

It has a touring distance of around 500km thanks to its ultra-dense 140kWh NMC battery pack sourced from respected battery supplier CATL.

A less powerful EREV version with a range-extending hybrid powertrain can travel further – roughly 800km – thanks to its three e-motors (600kW/1050Nm combined) supported by a small 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine that acts purely as a generator for the 66kWh battery pack, also supplied by CATL.

Australian buyers would more likely gravitate towards the EREV model with its petrol backup generator and longer range, but the Dongfeng spokesman said the EV version would be easier to convert to right-hand drive.

“Actually for this one, we didn’t expect such high interest in this car. The electric car is much easier to change from left [hand drive] to the right [hand drive]… than the petrol car,” he explained, given there’s no engine up front in the EV version.

When it comes to kerb mass, the Chinese challenger is heavier than a LandCruiser, tipping the scales between 3130kg and 3293kg.

According to Chinese media reports, the M-Hero 917’s gross vehicle mass tops out at 3800kg.

Mengshi is also working on a low-volume, trail-slaying super-4x4 dubbed the M-Hunter.

The desert-duelling beast appears to offer extreme wheel articulation and was shown in concept form alongside the M-Hero 917 in Beijing.

The Dongfeng spokesman explained the M-Hunter concept was close to production but would be exceedingly expensive.

“That’s a concept car but it’s nearly production-ready. We can build that but it’s much more expensive [than the M-Hero] and it will cost more than three million yuan ($A646,000),” he confirmed.

With an extreme design that does away with doors and is based around a tubular steel frame, it rides on heavy-duty steel springs, has loads of under-body armour and even a T-Max EW12500 electric winch rated to almost 5700kg.

Expect to see more wild off-road SUVs – whether factory-fresh or converted locally – from adventurous Chinese car-makers in coming years as they seek to cater to demand for hard-core adventure machines around the world, including Down Under.

For everything you auto know about EVs, listen to carsales' Watts Under the Bonnet: the electric car podcast

Join the conversation at our Facebook page
Or email us at editor@carsales.com.au