BAIC's boxy B30 SUV in SA soon: estimated pricing and local production plans

Chinese brand BAIC, or Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation, is best known for its X55 crossover and rugged B40 SUV, and soon the gap between them will be plugged by a new SUV called the B30.

Known in its home market as the BJ30, and prudently rebadged for South Africa, it blends butch looks with car-like unibody underpinnings and also introduces a plug-in hybrid option to the BAIC stable.

Revealed at the Festival of Motoring on Thursday, the B30 is due to reach our shores in late October, and a local spokesperson told IOL that it will be pitched directly above the X55, with pricing likely to range between R550,000 and R700,000. 

BAIC says the first units will be imported; however, there are plans afoot to produce the vehicle locally at its assembly plant in Coega, Eastern Cape. Since its inception in 2018, following an investment of R11 billion, the plant has yet to ramp up production to significant levels. However, earlier this year, Chinese Ambassador Wu Peng announced that BAIC was planning to expand its local production facility, with completely knocked down (CKD) production said to be on the cards.

BAIC refers to the B30 as a compact SUV, but it is a substantially sized vehicle, with its overall length of 4,730mm giving it a similar footprint to the Haval H7 and making it larger than Toyota's RAV4. Although not a serious off-roader, it does have an impressive ground clearance of 215mm.

The B30 is powered by a 1.5-litre turbopetrol engine which produces 130kW and 315Nm, with power going to the front wheels in regular ICE versions. There is also an all-wheel drive plug-in hybrid version, whose e-motor adds 55kW to the front wheels and 135kW to the rear.

The cockpit boasts a 14.6-inch central screen and an instrument panel designed to resemble a snowboard.

You can sleep in it too. BAIC says that with the rear seats folded down and the boot door closed, the rear cabin can accommodate two 1.8-metre-tall adults lying down. The vehicle is specifically designed to enable stargazing or a nap during a workday lunch break

The boot, according to BAIC, is sufficiently large for camping trips and picnics, and the storage shelf can be paired with installable legs that transform it into a camping table.

IOL Motoring