Mengshi M817

Model Overview

The Mengshi M817 is a luxury intelligent off-road SUV jointly developed by Dongfeng Motor's Mengshi Technology and Huawei Qiankun, officially launched on 27 June 2026. Drawing upon Dongfeng Mengshi's 57-year military-grade off-road heritage, the vehicle is engineered to break the industry's trade-off between off-road prowess, smart technology, and everyday comfort. It is tailored for the diverse "5+2+X" lifestyle—covering 5 days of urban commuting, 2 days of weekend glamping, and X extended road trips. The line-up comprises five variants: Mate, Mate+, Max, Max+, and Ultra, with official retail prices ranging between RM299,900 and RM399,900. Its key rivals in the RM300,000-bracket NEV rugged off-roader segment include the Tank 500 Hi4-T and Fangchengbao Bao 8.

Design Language

Embodying the philosophy of "telling Chinese stories through Mengshi design", the M817 adopts the "Heroic Soul" design language, weaving traditional Eastern motifs into a rugged silhouette. The front headlamps feature a "Zhi Ge" motif inspired by the diamond patterns on the legendary Sword of Goujian, symbolising the Eastern philosophy of peace through strength. At the rear, the taillight signature draws inspiration from a drawn sword pointing to the sky. Its exterior colour palette takes cues from China's landscapes, offering six choices: Gezong Black, Yulong Silver, Mingsha Yellow, Qinling Green, Kunlun White, and Wulan Orange. Inside, four colourways are available: Yingsong Black, Danxia Brown, Jinchuan Red, and Xiaying Orange, with the two-tone orange-and-black theme striking a balance between urban sophistication and outdoor flair. The SUV rides on 20-inch six-spoke dual-blade alloy wheels that accentuate its muscular off-road stance.

Powertrain and Performance

The all-new Mengshi M817 is powered by a 2.0T hybrid-dedicated engine—proven with two class wins and a first runner-up finish at the 2026 Taklimakan Rally—paired with dual front and rear electric motors, featuring 43 technical upgrades and 9 segment-leading benchmarks. The system delivers a total output of 715 kW and an immense 13,685 Nm of wheel torque, significantly outperforming a conventional 6.0T petrol engine. Addressing the common issue of power loss under low battery charge in new energy off-roaders, the M817 sustains battery charge at speeds of up to 161 km/h, making it the only off-roader in the industry capable of preventing power depletion across all driving conditions.

Energy storage comes courtesy of a 62.5 kWh CATL Freevoy off-road flagship super hybrid battery pack, offering a CLTC pure electric range of 301 km and an overall range of 1,450 km. The 2.0T dedicated hybrid engine delivers a thermal efficiency of 45.5%, which, alongside intelligent energy management, yields a low-battery fuel consumption of just 6.99 L/100 km. For charging, the SUV features an 800V high-voltage architecture with 6C supercharging, juicing up from 30% to 80% SoC in under 10 minutes.

Chassis and Handling

Constructed on a heavy-duty ladder-frame chassis, the Mengshi M817 benefits from a class-exclusive all-aluminium subframe/chassis setup. This achieves over 30% weight reduction compared to a traditional steel setup, sharpens dynamic response by over 15%, and enhances ride compliance by over 50%. The underpinnings include a dual-chamber air suspension with 150 mm of travel alongside a bidirectional 20° rear-wheel steering system, delivering a tight turning radius of just 5.2 metres for effortless manoeuvring in both tight city streets and rugged trails. Its continuous damping control (CDC) system recalibrates damping forces 500 times per second to strike the ideal balance between body control off-road and urban ride comfort.

For off-road duties, the SUV features the Mengshi Intelligent All-Terrain System with 9 driving modes, fitted standard with the Mengshi Intelligent E-Lock, off-road crawl control (with an added steady-climb function), and a generous 900 mm wading depth. Built on this very platform, the factory-spec rally machine conquered the gruelling 7,500 km route of the 2026 Taklimakan Rally—tackling deserts, rocky trails, and razor-sharp sand dunes to clinch two championships and a runner-up finish, while standing out as the only team with a 100% finish rate across the punishing SS5 and SS6 stages.

Cabin and Equipment

Riding on a generous 3,005 mm wheelbase, the Mengshi M817 provides a commodious, family-friendly mobile living space. Folding the rear seats flat creates a 2.1-metre flat bed, while luggage capacity measures 828 litres and expands up to 2,112 litres. The cabin is upholstered in Nappa leather with seat heating, ventilation, and massage functions throughout, and introduces the off-road segment's first-ever Zero-Gravity "Queen" front passenger seat for supreme relaxation. On the wellness front, 91.2% of the interior surfaces feature premium soft-touch padding made from 100% infant-safe materials, complemented by an active MOF composite cabin filter to neutralise harmful pollutants like formaldehyde.

Creature comforts include an onboard cooler/warmer adjustable from -6°C to 50°C, 6 kW Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) power supply, an industry-topping 25 kW stationary generator function, acoustic double-glazed glass, active noise cancellation (ANC), and a 20-speaker Dynaudio premium sound system complete with headrest speakers.

Safety and Advanced Driver Assistance

The Mengshi M817 incorporates an integrated safety framework comprising the Mengshi Armoured Body structure, CATL battery safety suite, and Huawei intelligent active protection. The chassis utilizes 5,000-tonne hydroformed single-piece longitudinal frame rails capable of withstanding up to 10 tonnes of pulling force, while the safety cell incorporates 2,000 MPa ultra-high-strength steel, with the front roof header engineered to withstand loads of up to 20.2 tonnes.

In terms of digital tech, the SUV is equipped with five Huawei Qiankun suites: Qiankun ADS, HarmonyOS Cockpit, Qiankun Cloud, Qiankun Vehicle Control, and Whale Fin Communications. It marks the production debut of Huawei Qiankun ADS 5, developed on the WEWA 2.0 architecture and backed by an 896-line dual-optical-path imaging-grade LiDAR that detects 14 cm-tall obstacles at distances up to 120 metres. It also rolls out an extensive off-road perception system with all-terrain recognition and Huawei's CAS 5.0 omnidirectional collision avoidance suite, which includes terrain-adaptive AEB, eAES evasive steering assist, and proactive curve speed reduction during manual driving. Furthermore, the Huawei Qiankun NCA Off-Road Edition makes its debut, offering automated off-road parking and assisted self-recovery on tight trails. The HarmonyOS Cockpit Off-Road Edition comes with a built-in dedicated Off-Road Agent that integrates trail guides, outdoor navigation, and tailored route books, alongside support for onboard drone pairing.

Market Reception and Verdict

The Mengshi M817 marks a major milestone in transitioning the Mengshi brand from a niche high-end nameplate into the mainstream market. While the 2025 M817 garnered over 3,700 confirmed bookings within 5 hours of its debut, the all-new M817 underwent a comprehensive upgrade within a single year—stepping up from a 1.5T to a 2.0T unit, boosting power from 505 kW to 715 kW, and advancing to ADS 5 and HarmonyOS 6, all while lowering the entry price by RM20,000 to RM299,900. By the end of December 2025, the 10,000th Mengshi M817 had officially rolled off the assembly line.

In the competitive RM300,000 NEV off-road segment, it goes head-to-head with the Tank 500 Hi4-T and Fangchengbao Bao 8. Backed by Huawei Qiankun's full-stack intelligent solutions, a potent 715 kW powertrain, a 1,450 km combined range, and a competitive sub-RM300k starting price, the Mengshi M817 carves out a strong value proposition. Industry reviewers have lauded the vehicle as a versatile new contender that seamlessly blends hardcore off-road capability, smart urban drivability, and family-oriented comfort, signalling a major leap forward for Chinese carmakers in the premium intelligent off-roader space.