WUHAN (Engine): At the same time that Mercedes-Benz is launching the all-electric version of the Geländewagen, Chinese brands are coming with similar capacity – and a lower price.
The first in Norway is called M-Hero 917, a brand from Dongfeng.
In the all-electric version, the car comes with a battery pack of 142.7 kWh, more than any other model on the Norwegian market. The battery in the aforementioned G-Wagen is 116 kWt.
Military heritage
The manufacturer M-Hero Technology is a kind of legacy from the production of military vehicles on which Chinese Dongfeng once relied heavily.
But there is a longer leap in the automotive industry from the first factory Chairman Mao requisitioned to build military trucks as part of the Third Five-Year Plan in the mid-1960s, to the luxurious beast that is now assembled with the help of more robots than human hands on a brand new factory in the center of Wuhan?
It is not at all certain.
PÅ EGEN BANE: Bevæpnede vakter er ikke noe hinder for å vise frem en småposh offroader, snarere tvertimot. Denne hybridversjonen av M-Hero 917 lages ved merkets nye fabrikk i Wuhan, der vi fikk en påsitt på fabrikantens eget testanlegg." alt="" />
Here are the latest news we’ve tested:
Dongfeng is one of the four major state-owned manufacturers in China, known for its own brands such as Voyah, Forthing, Aeolus and the cheap brand Nammi – alongside extensive collaboration projects with both Western and Chinese brands.
M-Hero is one of the latest and newest of its own brands.
For the Sulland-owned importer company Electric Way, Voyah has been the first prize in the Chinese lottery, now they hope M-Hero can be part of the next phase.
– We are working very hard to make it happen, says Lars Mabro Carlsson, sales director at Electric Way.
Famous people about the joys and sorrows of car ownership:
Truck patch
The challenge is primarily a weight of 3,900 kg, which means that a class B driving license is not sufficient. The EU is considering a proposal that allows the battery weight of cars up to 4,250 kg to be deducted – and thus bring a car like the M-Hero under the limit of 3,500 kg.
If not, the truck label applies.
But speaking of patches: M-Hero 917 will end up with a price somewhere in the neighborhood of two million kroner.
If you manage that obstacle as well, you will end up in a car that will take you absolutely everywhere.
Incidentally, M-Hero has already announced a next version next year where the weight has been pushed down to 2,700 kg.
HUSK Å STRØ: Den siste kneika på testbanen har 45 graders stigning." alt="" />PÅ SKRÅ: Kamera i vannrett posisjon, bilen i vinkel." alt="" />UNDERGRUNNEN: Kameravisning av forholdene under bilen kan være greit når underlaget er buklete." alt="" />HOMPETITTEN: Kulene er 60 cm høye." alt="" />On the ferry now
An electric motor on each wheel contributes to a total engine output of 1,080 hp, and between the four wheels is a battery plate from CATL (of which Dongfeng owns 20 percent) of 142.7 kW. M-Hero claims they created the most stable platform on a car ever. WLTP– the range is expected to be around 500 km, but climbs like in the film will of course eat heavily into the capacity.
The 4987 mm long and 1935 mm high car has a turning radius of 5.05 metres. The wheelbase is 2950 mm.
Our take on a hybrid version of the car on the company’s test track in Wuhan came with challenges you can see in the video above – and included 90cm wading depth, a 45 degree bank and 30 degree incline.
The ground clearance in the normal position is 23.5 cm, but can be raised to 33.5 cm.
PS: Today, the factory produces a careful 20 cars a day, the ambition is an annual production of 25,000 cars. And the first two copies that will arrive in Norway in June are now on board a ferry on its way from China.
Dongfeng Box:
