Here to stay: BAIC opens its factory doors to silence the sceptics

Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation, better known by the abbreviation BAIC or BAIC Motor in the case of its automotive division, may well have held the distinction of being one of the first Chinese brands to set-up shop in South Africa, yet uncertainty about its presence has lingered ever since.

Factory of mystery?

One of China’s oldest vehicle brands, partnerships with Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai and previously Stellantis via the Jeep marque, has done little to silence the criticism surrounding its operations ever since the opening of its 41 768 m² factory in the Coega IDZ outside Gqeberha in 2018.

Opened to significant fanfare, including a live stream to its office in Centurion where Presidents Cyril Ramaphosa and Xi Jinping pressed the button to reveal the first locally assembled BAIC X25, the R11-billion plant has, outwardly, delivered little since, with claims of it being nothing more than a white elephant having been constant.

At the time, the plant, which has the capacity to produce 50 000 vehicles a year, had been tipped to produce 1 540 jobs assembling vehicles from semi-knockdown kits (SKD) with the eventual aim of exporting to Africa and the Middle East.

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While the introduction of upscale Beijing brand’s X55 two years ago had been expected to dial down on the upheaval, progress has been quiet as thoughts persisted that the smash-hit crossover may have had little bearing on the facility dispelling its white elephant notion.

BAIC’s hosting of the country’s media at the plant last week not only provided the opportunity to see what had taken place since 2018, but also sample the updated Jeep Wrangler-esque B40 Plus introduced in 2021.

Production happening

Initiated as a joint venture between BAIC and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) in a 65%-35% partnership, touring the factory, which has led to the creation of a reported 3 000 jobs since 2018, showed a largely automated facility reported at 60%.

Said to employee a total of 113 across six departments, of which 42 are so-called white collar workers and 45 hourly employees, the automaker, previously, didn’t shy away from the challenges it had been facing since opting to assemble rather than import as rival brands Chery and Great Wall Motors (GWM) do.

Quelling fears about the 282 D20s and X25 produced since 2018, both discontinued four years ago, the brand indicated that its focus centres around producing the X55 from complete knockdown kits (CKD) once approval comes from Beijing.

Since going on sale last year, a claimed 2 693 X55s have found homes across South Africa, with the first six months of 2024 yielding sales of 920 units.

While it couldn’t be determined how many of the units had originated from the factory, the commencement of a trail period in February last year, the formal completion of the factory four months later, and the presence of more than a handful of models on the assembly line did indicate progress was taking place in order to support the 52-dealer network.

At the same time, plans of introducing two additional models to South Africa in 2025 are said to be on course, namely the B60 and the hybrid B30 BAIC says will become one of the most affordable of its kind with two-wheel-drive or four-wheel-drive.

In addition, subsidiary Foton, which re-entered South Africa last month, has expressed interest in producing vehicles locally, although for the moment, a timeline of events hasn’t been set out.

B40 Plus: No copy and paste

Significantly clearer was the sampling of the imported B40 Plus that debuted at the Kyalami Festival of Motoring in 2019 to significant controversy.

Known on home soil as the BJ40L, the letters standing for Beijing Jeep, but renamed for South Africa to avoid unwanted lured comments, the B40 Plus is in fact a legitimate remake of the Wrangler as per the now-dissolved joint venture with Jeep that originated in 1984, when the former belonged to American Motors Corporation (AMC).

Only offered with five doors and a five-slot grille rather than the Wrangler’s seven, which BAIC claims pays homage to the Great Wall of China, the B40 Plus also has different headlights, door handles and design of the handle that opens the split tailgate.

Worth noting is that the standard BJ40, without the “L” lettering, debuted a radically different second generation in August last year, with styling derived from the Ford Bronco Sport and GWM Tank 300.

For the time being, the BJ40L/B40 Plus continues and while still sporting a foldable windscreen and removable doors plus a detachable roof similar to the Wrangler, the biggest difference is the interior and choice of powerplants.

As evident from the Mercedes-Benz link-up, the B40 Plus sports a similar steering wheel and infotainment design, while the turbine-style air vents have been redesigned to resemble the BAIC logo.

At the same time, a G-Class-inspired grab handle sits in front of the passenger, while the engine start/stop button sits between the switches for the low range transfer case in a roundel design below the touchscreen display.

An ergonomic foible that will require familiarisation, scrolling through the 10-inch system proved easy as the plethora of functions and sub-menus found in newer Chinese vehicles are distinctly lacking in a model that has been on-sale since 2016.

The drive

Comfort, however, is good and while quality varies from good to clunky, the B40 Plus’ key focus is off-roading, which took-up the majority of the drive from Coega to Addo.

Utilising a double wishbone suspension and coil spring set-up at the front and a five-link coil spring at the rear, the B40 Plus’ ride comes in for considerable praise for being smooth and comfortable.

Less sorted and prone to sending a few jolts into the cab on tardier sections, progress on the move verged on the agreeable side, but could have been better had it not been for the prevailing Chinese vehicle issue of the throttle calibration being inadequately programmed.

In terms of power, the 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 used in the Wrangler makes way for either a 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine matched to a six-speed manual gearbox, or a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol combined with a six-speed automatic.

Introduced as part of the refresh, the latter powerplant, a development of the H-series engine made by Saab that stems from BAIC’s ultimately abandoned plans to fully acquire the Swedish brand from bankruptcy, comes with the option of being mated to the ubiquitous ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic, which featured in all of the vehicles driven.

Compared to the diesel, which produces 110kW/350Nm, the petrol makes 160kW/320Nm, which increases by five kilowatts and 60 Nm when specified with the ZF.

Despite this, progress feels lethargic and the engine underpowered low-down as a result of the “disconnect” between the throttle and engine.

Once on song, the B40 Plus responds stronger, yet not as lively as it should. What’s more, the electronic software for the throttle blunts the workings of a transmission renowned for its sharpness and seamless shifting.

In fact, downshifting proved the biggest issue, as the ‘box would hesitate before dropping the desired number of cogs in order to aid momentum.

With a ground clearance of 210 mm, approach angle of 37°, departure angle of 31° and a breakover angle of 23°, the B40 Plus felt at ease off-road, which involved a set-out track outside the factory and on a private game farm outside Addo.

Not lacking for grunt, or bizarrely hindered by the accelerator, most likely due to the selection of low range, the B40 Plus sailed through without getting stuck or feeling out of its comfort zone – in fact, it felt better off the tar than on it.

Never requiring activation of the diff-lock or a foot full of throttle to escape the rockier sections of the course, the general consensus was that while the B40 Plus possibly wouldn’t trouble the Wrangler up the Rubicon, it would give it a likely go elsewhere.

Conclusion

That being said, a lingering concern about the BAIC brand itself remains and whether it will eventually be mentioned in the same breath as Chery or GWM.

Despite assurance of its commitment, plans to roll-out new vehicles, and adopting a business structure it says is different and sustainable from those of its countrymen, long-term trust will most likely only be earned once a broader acceptance and understanding of the company emerges.

Price

Standard across the entire B40 Plus range is a five year/120 000 km warranty with a four year/60 000 km service plan being optional.

• B40 Plus 2.0 TDI – R574 500
• B40 Plus 2.0T AT – R609 500
• B40 Plus 2.0 TDI City Hunter – R604 500
• B40 Plus 2.0T City Hunter AT – R639 500
• B40 Plus 2.0T City Hunter ZF AT – R674 500
• B40 Plus 2.0T Champion AT – R659 500
• B40 Plus 2.0T Champion ZF AT – R699 500

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