- The BJ81 serves as the successor to the BJ80 and gets a new design.
- Power comes courtesy of a 1.5-liter engine serving as a range extender.
- The design looks suspiciously like the Mercedes G-Class and Jeep Wrangler.
If you can’t beat them, join them. It seems as though Chinese automaker BAIC has done just this with its latest model, the BJ81, raiding the design departments of Jeep and Mercedes-Benz to produce its own rugged off-roader. Set to premiere at April’s Beijing Auto Show, it looks surprisingly impressive, despite taking a little too much inspiration from the competition.
We were given our first glimpse of the BJ81 in early December through a series of grainy, low-resolution photos, but this is our first time seeing it in official images released by the company. While it may look like a cross between a G-Class and a Wrangler, it doesn’t have a powertrain to rival either of them.
Read: BAIC’s New Off-Roader Has Mercedes Fans Doing A Double Take
A five-slat grille dominates the front of the off-roader and is accompanied by a set of circular headlights with subtle DRLs. There’s also a rugged bumper perfect for off-roading.
Looking A Little Too Familiar…
The Mercedes influence is particularly obvious from the side, thanks to the flared front and rear wheel arches, silver wheels, and red brake calipers. BAIC has also designed the off-roader with prominent side steps and mud flaps. The rear features a split tailgate, a large spare wheel carrier, taillights like a Land Rover Defender, and a tow hitch.
Although the 81 looks quite beefy, it doesn’t appear to have the performance to back up its design. Autohome reports it will come fitted with a compact 1.5-liter four-cylinder, serving as a range-extender for the hybrid system.
There’s no final word on how much power the latest BAIC product will pack, but here’s hoping it will be at least good enough for some decent off-roading – or else it will be a case of all show and no go.
