Jeep maker 212 Off-Road Vehicle, a unit of Beijing Auto Works (BAW), has set its sights on overseas markets as it banks on the country’s automotive supply chain to design and assemble high-performance products.
The company, based in Qingdao, a coastal city in eastern China’s Shandong province, plans to offer a slate of petrol-powered and electric vehicles (EVs) to customers in Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, hoping they can generate 40 per cent of sales as early as 2028, CEO Lu Yunran said in an interview last week.
“As a unique product category, Chinese-made off-road vehicles are also going global in a determined effort to promote our development and manufacturing capabilities,” he said. “The 212 brand will mobilise resources to advance our foray into foreign markets.”
This year, the company was expected to deliver 20,000 vehicles globally while planning for annual growth of at least 50 per cent over the next few years, Lu said.
China does not have a mechanism to track sales of off-road vehicles. On the mainland, the world’s largest automotive and EV market, 212 competes with Great Wall Motor’s Tank brand.
The company’s T01 model starts at 139,900 yuan (US$19,595) on the mainland, and Lu pledged to offer affordable, world-class off-road vehicles to customers.