Not the BJ you know: BAIC BJ40 previewed in Indonesia; CKD model to launch in Malaysia next

China’s state-owned car manufacturer, Beijing Automotive Group Co. Ltd. (BAIC) has restarted its entry into Southeast Asia. The brand was launched in Indonesia yesterday, with PT JIO Distribusi Indonesia, a subsidiary of PT JDI, as its distributor.

Two models have been previewed, the BJ40 Plus and X55. For this post, we will focus on the BJ40 Plus.

The name is of course ‘inspired’ by the legendary first generation Toyota Jeep BJ, the original name of the first generation Land Cruiser.

The BAIC BJ40 Plus measures 4,645 mm long, 1,925 mm wide, and 1,871 mm tall, with a 2,745 mm wheelbase. Ground clearance is 210 mm.

With those measurements, the C-segment BJ40 Plus is a lot smaller than the 7-seater D-segment Toyota Fortuner, but since it rides on an off-road-ready ladder frame chassis, there is no closer comparison.

The Suzuki Jimny 5-door measures 3,965 mm long, 1,645 mm wide, and 1,720 mm tall.

Like most Chinese off-road vehicles, a much-appreciated diesel engine is not available. Instead, the BAIC BJ40 Plus is powered by a 2.0-litre DOHC turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, putting out 221 hp and 380 Nm.

Drive is transferred to either the rear wheels or all four wheels via a Part-Time 4x4 system (BorgWarner transfer case), with electronic shift-on-the-fly feature.

There’s also no manual transmission option, only an 8-speed ZF-sourced torque converter-type automatic transmission.

The rigid rear axle is hung by a pair of 5-link coil springs suspension. The front suspension is a double-wishbone design.

Imported from China, the BAIC BJ40 Plus is estimated to be priced at 800 million Rupiah (~RM 235,000). For reference, the cheapest 4x4 variant Toyota Fortuner starts at 736.9 million Rupiah.

In Malaysia, BAIC has appointed EP Manufacturing Sdn. Bhd. (EPMB) as its contract manufacturer. Production is scheduled to start in Q3 2024, at the EPMB’s plant in Pegoh, Melaka.

EPMB will also be doing contract manufacturing for Great Wall Motor’s Haval H6 and Jolion, at the same plant. Production was originally scheduled to start in the third quarter of this year, but this has since been pushed back to a later date.