The Chinese automaker Dongfeng is back with another familiar model that borrows its design from an American vehicle, but this time it’s taking more than the look — it’s going for the attitude, too. Dongfeng Motors is making an oversized and overpowered off-road EV called the M18 that’s more or less the Chinese copy of GM’s Hummer EV, as Car News China reports.
The upcoming Dongfeng M18 is basically an EV version of the M50 Warrior. Really, a massive EV off-roader was bound to appear in China, where EVs are very popular and oversized trucks and SUVs are slowly growing in number. When you combine the success of EVs and the traction big trucks and SUVs are gaining in China, you get this:
Or, something very similar, since that’s the gas-powered M50 Warrior, which is the civilian version of the EQ2050, a military vehicle based on AM General’s Humvee. Car News China claims Dongfeng is actually planning an entire lineup of M18 EV off-roaders, set to be released as part of a new “M” sub-brand. The first of these will be an SUV that seats six.
So, how will the M18 stack up to the Hummer EV? The following are the alleged Dongfeng M18 specs, according to Car News China:
- One 800Kw motor making 1,070 horsepower
- 0-95 km per hour in under 5 seconds
- 140kWh battery, with a range of 501 km
- Weighs 2,896 kg
- About 5.18 m long, and over 2.13 m wide
And the following specs are those of the Hummer EV Pickup Edition 1:
- Three 255kW motors making up to 1,000 HP
- 0-95 km per hour in 3 seconds
- Up to a 350kWh battery, with a range up to 350 miles
- Weighs over 4,082 kg
- About 5.49 m long, and over 2.21 m wide
I gave the Hummer EV the benefit of the doubt here, listing its max numbers. Still, it looks like the Dongfeng M18 can match the Hummer EV in a number of ways and outdo it in others — the main ones being its lower weight and smaller size, which matter when going off-road. Car News China doesn’t list specific off-road tech, only citing a “new MORV electric off-road vehicle platform.”
Where the M18 won’t be more competitive than the Hummer EV is price. It’ll cost somewhere between ¥600,000 – 700,000, or around $130,907 – $152,702, when it goes on sale in China. Its release is some time away, as production of the M18 is supposed to start in 2023.
Car News China also claims there won’t be any direct competitors to the Dongfeng M18, because even though it won’t be the only Hummer copycat in the country, it will probably be the only Hummer EV copycat.
