Beijing Auto Patents New BJ30 SUV (Just So Jeep Doesn’t Get Any Ideas)

If we looked at the upcoming BJ30 crossover in a vacuum, we could argue that any similarities it may have with a Jeep are purely coincidental. In reality though, there are more layers to peel off when it comes to this Chinese carmaker.

Beijing Auto ( (officially Beijing Automotive Industry Holding or BAIC) has a habit of imitating or at the very least, incorporating design elements of Western vehicles as evidenced by the BJ40L Jeep Wrangler lookalike.  It also produces cars under license such as the BJ90 full-size SUV which is based on the second generation Mercedes-Benz GL.

So where does this leave the BJ30? Thankfully it doesn’t clone any specific Jeep model, aside from that front grille of course.

Read Also: Beijing BJ90 Is A Rebodied Mercedes GL That Costs More Than The New GLS

As for what we do know about the BJ30, it will make its official debut in China in the fourth quarter of 2020, reports Autohome, and it is based on the previous BJ20 model. The Chinese outlet also claims that Beijing Auto’s future products will be named using 2, 4, 6, 8-sequenced numbers for rugged off-roaders, while urban off-road models will employ 3, 5, 7 and 9 monikers – thus explaining the generational switch from BJ20 to BJ30.

While the overall body design endured, the BJ30 comes with a fully redesigned front fascia (new intake, headlights, fog lights, hood), which is why it looks more refined than the BJ20, whose face copied that of the old Jeep Cherokee.

We also have a few spy images courtesy of China’s PC Auto, where the taillights are fully undisguised – those too have been completely redesigned compared to the BJ20’s horizontal ones. The interior meanwhile seems to have the same layout as before, more or less.

Then there’s the power unit, which is said to remain unchanged, meaning you get a 1.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine, good for 150 HP and 210 Nm (155 lb-ft) of torque. You can have it either with a 6-speed manual or a CVT.