Here’s a Beijing BJ80, seen at a car market in the far southwest of the Chinese capital, Beijing. The boxy SUV looked great in Dark Night Black, and it was fitted with the original 18-inch five-spoke alloy wheels.
About Beijing
Beijing (北京, Běijīng) is a Chinese car brand. Beijing’s owner is Beijing Off Road (北京越野, Běijīng Yuèyě), a division of BAIC Group.
The Beijing brand has a complicated history. The brand was killed off and resurrected several times, with various restructurings and internal mergers. Today, there are two distinct Beijing brands:
BAIC > Beijing Off Road > Beijing: rough SUVs.
BAIC > Beijing: passenger cars and sedans.
Each Beijing brand has its own development and marketing departments, and China’s sales statistics count them separately. However, both brands use the same dealer network. Sales are okay, but nothing more. In May 2026, Beijing Off Road sold 9076 cars, good for the 40th place in the brand sales rankings and a 0.6% market share.
The Beijing BJ80
The Beijing BJ80 is a mid-size four-wheel drive SUV, manufactured from 2016 until 2025, with an upgrade in 2022. The car in the photos is a pre-update example.
At the time of launch, Beijing received heavy criticism for the styling of the BJ80, with many claiming it looked way too much like a Mercedes-Benz G-Class, with some Jeep elements thrown in the mix.
That was extra fuzzy because BAIC operates the Beijing-Benz joint venture, which makes Mercedes-Benz cars for the Chinese market. And the predecessor of Beijing-Benz was Beijing-Jeep, which made Jeeps.
Reports in Chinese media claimed Mercedes-Benz was pissed-off, but they didn’t go to court, and the BJ80 went on sale. I always thought the BJ80 was a great-looking car, with cool off-road elements, running boards, a spare wheel cover on the back, and lots of shiny chrome all over the vehicle. It was seriously capable off-road, with four-wheel drive and a locking differential. The approach angle is 39 degrees, and the departure angle is 33 degrees.
The interior
The cabin is luxurious, with leather seats, wood trim, and classy aluminium detailing. It also has a small sunroof.
The tech was basic: an 8-inch center screen and a half-digital dashboard. It had heated seats, a single cup holder, and a seven-speaker audio system.
Enough space for 3 on this super flat bench in the back. Lots of leg room too, as the BJ80 was a decently sized car: 4765/1975/1985, 2800.
A Saab engine
The pre-update Beijing BJ80 has a Saab 2.3 turbo under the hood, with an output of 231 hp and 345 Nm. The transmission was a 6-speed automatic, sending horsepower to all wheels. Beijing claimed a 160 km/h top speed, and a 0-100 accelaration of 10.8 seconds. Fuel consumption was steep: 11.2 liters per 100 kilometers, not helped by the vehicle’s 2315 kg curb weight. Happily, it has an 85-liter fuel tank.
The BAIC group bought the rights to the Saab 2.0 turbo and Saab 2.3 turbo from General Motors in 2009, along with the rights to the platforms of the Saab 9-3 and first-generation Saab 9-5. BAIC still uses these engines in several models, even today.
Pricing
In 2022, Beijing asked 438.000 yuan for the Beijing BJ80, or $65K using the 2022 exchange rate. That made the BJ80 one of the most expensive Chinese-brand vehicles in that period, only Hongqi made more expensive cars. After the 2022 upgrade, Beijing also offered a 280 hp 3.0 twin-turbo in the BJ80, which had a 180 kmh/h top speed. More on that car in a later post!