BAIC has announced a new Beijing BJ40 version for China, which AutoHome believes will be called “Blade Hero” and offer some off-road capabilities. In this new version, the car sports bumpers with built-in towing eyes, special wheels shod in mud tires, and undercarriage protection. It also has side sill reinforcements, but no roof rails.
The dimensions (LWH) are 4,790 x 1,940 x
1,929 millimeters with 2,760 mm of wheelbase. In practical term, it means the
BJ40 is the same size as before, but roughly 35 mm taller – probably due
to the wheels. The added ground clearance and shorter bumpers should indeed
give it a bit more maneuverability on bad roads. The approach and departure
angles are both one degree better than stock at 38 and 36 degrees,
respectively.
At this time, the BJ40 only ships with a
2.0-liter turbocharged engine rated at 245 PS and 395 Nm of torque. An eight-speed automatic transmission carries the power to
the wheels. The driver gets an on-demand AWD system and 11 drive presets to
switch among. It is speculated that a diesel and a petrol-electric hybrid
versions will be added to the lineup later.
