M‑Hero (Mengshi) is a luxury electric off‑road brand under Dongfeng Automobile Group Co., Ltd. Established in 2022 and headquartered in Wuhan, Hubei, the brand traces its origins back to over half a century of military vehicle development at Dongfeng. It is a civilian extension of China's premier military vehicle brand, "Dongfeng M‑Hero," and possesses irreproducible military off‑road DNA. M‑Hero Technology takes "Fearless · Conquer" as its brand proposition, with "Hardcore Technology, Ultimate Electrification, Disruptive Innovation, and All‑Terrain Connectivity" as its core values. The brand focuses on the luxury electric off‑road segment, striving to become the No.1 luxury smart off‑road brand.

Development History

Brand Founding and Launch of First Model (2022–2023)

In April 2022, Dongfeng M‑Hero Automobile Technology Co., Ltd. was officially established. In August of the same year, the M‑Hero brand was officially launched in Wuhan, featuring the exclusive "M" logo and two concept cars, the M‑Terrain and M‑Terrain S. In April 2023, the first mass‑produced model, the M‑Hero 917, made its global debut at the Shanghai Auto Show and was officially launched in August of that year, available in both extended‑range and pure electric versions, with a starting price of 637,700 RMB, filling the gap in the luxury new energy off‑road market for Chinese brands.

Product Expansion and Strategic Cooperation with Huawei (2024–2025)

In 2024, M‑Hero Technology reached a strategic cooperation agreement with Huawei to jointly build a smart car ecosystem. In April 2025, M‑Hero showcased three models at the Shanghai Auto Show, including the M‑Hero M817, which was the first to be equipped with Huawei's Qiankun Intelligent Driving System. In August 2025, the M‑Hero M817 was launched globally, starting at 319,900 RMB. In September of the same year, the Dongfeng Group, together with Xiangyang State‑owned Assets and others, jointly invested 8.47 billion RMB to establish M‑Hero Technology (Xiangyang) Co., Ltd., with Dongfeng Group contributing 3.55 billion RMB in intangible assets, and Xiangyang Holdings and Xianggao Investment contributing 4 billion RMB in cash, driving the brand's strategic expansion. In December 2025, the 10,000th M‑Hero M817 rolled off the assembly line, and the "Summit Action" was launched simultaneously.

Strategic Upgrade and Rapid Leap (2026–Present)

In April 2026, M‑Hero Automobile and Huawei Qiankun jointly held a Spring Refresh Launch Conference in Wuhan, announcing that their cooperation had been fully upgraded from "product co‑creation" to "all‑dimensional co‑creation," achieving deep integration across R&D, technology, channels, and ecosystems. The world's first co‑created flagship store—the 001 Wuhan Flagship Store—opened at the same time. Additionally, M‑Hero and Huawei Qiankun jointly launched eight major smart off‑road technologies, unveiled a new smart off‑road architecture, and announced that four new models will be rolled out in batches over the next two years.

Product Portfolio

M‑Hero has built three major product series—the 917 flagship series, the M817 mainstay series, and a new product series aimed at a broader audience. Currently, three models are on sale: the M‑Hero 917, the M‑Hero M817, and the M‑Hero M800.

M‑Hero 917 is the brand's inaugural flagship model, positioned as a large rugged off‑road SUV that integrates M‑Hero's military vehicle off‑road technology with smart electric innovations. The pure electric version is equipped with four motors (two front, two rear), delivering 1,088 horsepower and accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.2 seconds. It features the first domestically produced 142.7 kWh dual‑layer high‑capacity off‑road battery pack. The extended‑range version combines three motors with a 1.5T high‑efficiency range extender, achieving a total range of up to 1,026 km. The entire lineup is equipped with the Eastern Eagle‑Eye Smart Drone System, a five‑screen multi‑dimensional interaction system, a Qualcomm 8155 high‑performance computing platform, and other smart off‑road technologies. The body incorporates an internal high‑pressure one‑piece formed longitudinal beam and a military‑grade anti‑flash energy‑absorbing honeycomb structure for battery pack protection, ensuring safety to military standards.

M‑Hero M817 is a new volume model co‑created by M‑Hero and Huawei, deeply integrating Huawei's full‑stack smart technologies, including the Qiankun Intelligent Driving system, Harmony Cockpit, and Car Cloud Service. Launched in August 2025 with a starting price of 319,900 RMB, it reached 10,000 units off the assembly line just four months after launch, setting a new record for production speed among high‑end new energy off‑road models. The M817 is equipped with M‑Hero's smart off‑road architecture, M TECH, and features all‑terrain connectivity, positioning it as a luxury smart off‑road SUV.

M‑Hero M800 is another large SUV currently on sale by the brand, helping to complement and round out the product matrix.

Market Performance

M‑Hero sales have shown explosive growth. Full‑year sales in 2025 reached 10,228 units, a year‑on‑year increase of 387%. Among them, single‑month sales in December hit 3,002 units, a year‑on‑year increase of more than twentyfold and a month‑on‑month increase of 49.6%. Since its launch in August, the M‑Hero M817 drove the brand's sales to achieve four consecutive monthly increases starting in September. In January 2026, M‑Hero sales reached 1,008 units, a year‑on‑year increase of over 300%. As of early 2026, the number of M‑Hero dealerships has surged to 174. In terms of average transaction price, the M‑Hero 917 is priced in the 600,000–700,000 RMB range, while the M‑Hero M817 is priced around 300,000 RMB, with the brand maintaining an overall luxury market positioning.

Core Technologies

M‑Hero Smart Off‑road Architecture M TECH is the cornerstone of M‑Hero's core technology. It represents China's first luxury electric off‑road technology solution, covering three major areas: platform, powertrain, and off‑road capability.

MORA M‑Hero Skateboard Off‑road Platform is China's first autonomous electric off‑road skateboard platform, supporting both pure electric and extended‑range powertrains. Vehicles based on this platform are equipped with VMC chassis dynamic domain control, AKC rear‑wheel steering, and other cutting‑edge technologies, achieving a minimum turning radius of just 5.1 meters and supporting unique off‑road functions such as "crab walk" lateral driving.

MEGA POWER M‑Hero Powertrain delivers a total power output exceeding 1,000 horsepower. The pure electric version accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in as little as 4.2 seconds, while the extended‑range version offers a total range of over 1,000 km. In April 2026, the upgraded Extreme Power 2.0 version was released, featuring a 49% increase in total horsepower, a 30% increase in total torque, a total range of 1,450 km, and 0‑100 km/h acceleration now in the four‑second range. Equipped with 6C fast‑charging technology, it breaks the traditional pain point of high energy consumption in rugged off‑road vehicles.

M ATS All‑Terrain System supports six off‑road driving modes plus a Smart Off‑road AUTO mode, covering nine typical off‑road surface changes. Combined with AI smart algorithms, it adjusts the vehicle's off‑road driving mode in real time.

Intelligent Driving and Cockpit. M‑Hero has established a deep collaboration with Huawei, equipping its vehicles with Huawei's full‑stack Qiankun Intelligent Driving system and the Harmony off‑road exclusive cockpit. It features the industry's first 896‑line dual‑path image‑level LiDAR, improving road surface perception accuracy to over 95%. The Huawei Qiankun XMC Digital Chassis Engine and M‑Hero's Panshi Chassis 2.0 are deeply integrated, enabling the chassis to evolve from "passive response" to "active prediction." The 2025 M‑Hero 917 was the first to be equipped with a deeply customized AI system, accessing the DeepSeek‑R1 model to achieve millisecond‑level voice interaction and adding an off‑road scenario voice command library, making it the industry's first luxury off‑road vehicle with a deeply customized AI system.

Global Presence

M‑Hero's global expansion has achieved significant results. As of early 2026, its products have reached 47 countries and regions, completed regional market access certifications for Europe, the CIS, and other areas, and successfully entered key overseas markets such as Europe and the Middle East. In 2025, total vehicle exports exceeded 1,000 units. The Middle East market has been particularly bright. In the fourth quarter of 2025, the M‑Hero M817 received orders exceeding 800 units in the Middle East, with shipments surpassing 600 units within two months. In January 2026, the Doha flagship showroom in Qatar officially opened, and the brand accelerated its retail network expansion in countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. M‑Hero has launched customized versions of its models for the Middle East, equipped with sand‑proof and heat‑dissipating kits, exclusive off‑road modes for desert terrain, and luxury interior kits incorporating local cultural symbols, deeply aligning with the needs of high‑end users. Looking ahead, M‑Hero will also accelerate the development of right‑hand drive models to further expand into right‑hand drive markets.

Future Outlook

M‑Hero is firmly committed to its strategic goal of becoming the number one luxury smart off‑road brand, fully launching the "Summit Action" to drive systemic transformation across four dimensions: organization, product, technology, and ecosystem. On the product front, starting in 2026, M‑Hero will launch two new cars each year, with 12 billion RMB in R&D funding to be invested over the next five years to continuously evolve its smart off‑road technology solutions. Four brand‑new models will be rolled out in batches over the next two years, with the first major new car making its global debut at the Beijing Auto Show on April 24, 2026. On the smart off‑road technology front, M‑Hero and Huawei Qiankun have jointly established a Smart Off‑road Technology Joint Innovation Lab with the China Automotive Technology and Research Center, taking the lead in formulating industry group standards for smart off‑road and publishing the industry's first "Smart Off‑road Life White Paper." On the ecosystem front, in collaboration with more than ten domestic cultural tourism groups, the first batch of ten smart off‑road bases has been deployed for pilot operations, covering popular off‑road destinations such as Alxa and the Jinzhai Martin Highway. By 2027, the number of smart off‑road bases is expected to expand to hundreds. On the service level, M‑Hero has launched four "Full‑Cycle Guardian" initiatives, including the industry's longest single‑distance (50 km) door‑to‑door pickup and delivery service and the Starlight Workshop extended evening service. M‑Hero will continue to deepen its all‑dimensional co‑creation with Huawei Qiankun, achieving full‑chain collaboration across product definition, R&D, marketing, and ecosystem services, empowering the ultimate off‑road experience with full‑stack intelligent technology and driving smart off‑road from a "pioneer" to a "leader."