Filed under: SUVs, China, Jeep, Land Rover, Misc. Auto Shows
Beijing 2008: Land Wrangler? It's the Beijing B40!
Click above for high-res gallery of the Beijing B40
The basic Jeep shape has essentially carried forward from World War II to the present day. It has also been replicated many times over by automakers scattered around the world, and variations on the theme continue to appear. The Chinese auto industry has never been shy about (ahem) "borrowing", and Beijing Automotive has come through with one of the "better" quasi-clones we've seen so far. The B40 is obviously Jeep Wrangler-inspired, but rather than ape the Jeep's signature front end, the B40 instead sports a more Land Rover-ish look (think LR2/Freelander 2). And you know what? It's actually kind of interesting to look at.
The interior is gussied up with contrast-stitched leather seats, a nav system, and a steering wheel that looks like it's been ripped from a modern Opel. The wheels are OEM Jeep knock-offs. One thing that jumps out at us is the door handles -- they're a flat style, similar to the ones Jeep used before switching to the circular push-button handles on the current JK Wranglers. We really like that old look better. Anyway, back to the B40 -- the only technical info Autoblog Chinese has is that it's powered by a gasoline engine. Offroad prowess is unknown, as is its production status, but at least we know what a Wrangler/Freelander love child might look like.
UPDATE: As has been pointed out in the comments, Beijing Auto is the current name of the automaker once known as the joint venture, Beijing Jeep. (Stands up, ready to catch javelins.) As such, this is in all likelihood derived from actual Wrangler mechanicals. As one commenter theorizes, if the nomenclature is related to the actual powertrain, this may well have the old 4.0L I6 underhood. You know -- the one you can't get in the USDM Wrangler anymore.
Gallery: Beijing B40
[Source: Autoblog Chinese]
All photos Copyright ©2008 Bin Chen / Weblogs, Inc.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
SPG 11:38AM (4/22/2008)
Had Chrysler not decided to cut platform sharing I think this is what a Dodge branded Wrangler would look like.
Or a Mitsubishi version (like the current Raider).
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Pete 1:00PM (4/22/2008)
In the pacific there were Mitsubishi branded Jeeps sold back in the 70s and 80s.
http://www.cars-directory.net/gallery/mitsubishi/jeep/1988/mitsubishi_jeep_3705036_11_p.html
cxv 11:44AM (4/22/2008)
Looks good but I rather reward originality than a copy.
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Pete 11:45AM (4/22/2008)
Is this a product of the Beijing Jeep JV? That is, I believe, the oldest Sino-Western JV, dating back to the AMC days (and the subject of a great book called, Beijing Jeep)
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Turkle 11:47AM (4/22/2008)
It is sad when the mainstream automotive press starts complimenting copy cat cars as "one of the "better" quasi-clones we've seen so far." The press should disparage this type of artistic intillectual property theft for what it is, not provide a positive assessment of the design. It is only positive because it is a blatant high jack of what is good about two other manufacturer's vehicles (in this case the Jeep and Land Rover brands).
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Zane 11:49AM (4/22/2008)
B40? I bet it has a 4.0L petrol/gas engine.
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C.W. 11:50AM (4/22/2008)
this is a joke and makes me sick.
chrysler has a good thing with the Jeep and this chinese crap does nothing other than taint real off-road prowess. how can this even be gaining coverage? or the Fiesta rip-off for that matter?
nonsense.
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TBlueMax 11:51AM (4/22/2008)
Not to damn with faint praise, but not bad... especially if you can get past the recycled menagerie of design cues and the leather-covered yardstick used as a gearshift. Certainly one of the better-integrated designs, but perhaps that speaks to the overall simplicity of the vehicle.
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Way of the Future 11:58AM (4/22/2008)
bootleg! that's what this show is about is about legalized bootlegging. Here in NY they arrest people that sell bootleg things, all of these designer should suffer the same fate.
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NOreasonY 12:01PM (4/22/2008)
i really thought this had to be some sort of joke but i guess not ..... i cant believe they can get away with this over there
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Horizon 12:05PM (4/22/2008)
Beijing Jeep is a joint venture of Jeep in China. So what's the fuss?
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BluePariah 12:49PM (4/22/2008)
+1. I hate knockoff's as much as the next guy, but do a *little* research first...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beijing-Benz_DaimlerChrysler_Automotive
Quattrofan 12:06PM (4/22/2008)
Holy Batman of knockoffs.
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Guenther 12:11PM (4/22/2008)
Not bad, styling wise. If the grille actually had seven slots and you showed me this, I'd think it was a possible update. The rear borrows a lot from the FJCruiser (fat D-Pillar, tail-lights, bumpers). The hood-line is as much WJ as it is Rover-esque. Since it is Beijing Auto, Ill guess that it's the same company as what was once Beijing Jeep.
The Buchshots are a nice touch. Are they made in China now?
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Pips 12:13PM (4/22/2008)
buckshot maxxis mudder? what kind of tires are these? it sound very funny~!
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Alex Nunez 12:17PM (4/22/2008)
Probably a kind that you don't want anywhere near your own car.
Guenther 2:57PM (4/22/2008)
Old, very well known tire brand. I'm guessing they are made in China now.
Pips 4:48PM (4/22/2008)
oic, but I am sure in matter of time, there will be a bootleg version of buckshot tires called "buttshot".......LOL
Neil 12:18PM (4/22/2008)
So this is what would happen if a Wrangler and a Toyota FJ Cruiser had a kid together...lol.
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TyWright 12:21PM (4/22/2008)
world war 3 will obviously be about copyright infringement -
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