China’s Dongfeng has just launched two new vehicles under its rugged Mengshi brand and even though they don’t look like the GMC Hummer EV, they were pretty clearly inspired by the same concept. The M-Terrain and M-Terrain S are currently branded as concepts, but they are expected to go on sale sometime in 2023.
The first, the Mengshi M-Terrain, is a four-door SUV with a very bold design and details that suggest it would be good off road. The M-Terrain S is a single-cab pickup, it has a more upright windscreen and different proportions, suggesting that it is the more adventure-oriented of the two (as does the “S” in its name).
Gallery: Dongfeng Mengshi M-Terrain
Both are very big vehicles, measuring 5.2 meters (17 feet) in length and weighing the same 3.5 tons (7,700 pounds). That’s about one foot shorter than the Hummer EV and about 600 kg (1,363 pounds) lighter, but they promise to pack a similar punch with an available quad-motor setup that would give them 1,070 horsepower, enabling a sprint to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.2 seconds.
According to CarNewsChina, the vehicles will go into production in 2023 for the Chinese market and they will be available either as pure EVs or as range extenders. The EV variant will get the aforementioned high-output quad-motor setup and a 140 kWh battery pack good for a claimed 500 km (310 miles), while the range extender will make do with a smaller 66 kWh battery but thanks to the range extender it could go up to 800 km (497 miles) between stops.
Dongfeng, which also makes an actual electric Hummer clone, says the platform that underpins both vehicles makes them very capable off-road and thanks to rear-wheel steering also makes them more maneuverable in any situation. Having back wheels that turn also enabled engineers to give it the exact same “Crab Walk” feature that we first saw on the electric Hummer. The vehicles also have adjustable-height air suspension.
