Dongfeng’s M-Hero and Voyah brands coming to South Africa

In one of the surprise announcements at the Kyalami Festival of Motoring last month, Dongfeng confirmed that its M-Hero and Voyah sub-brands will make their respective entries into the South African market in December.

Announced at the unveiling of the Forthing Friday, the divisions will initially have a model each, with expansion plans for other products unknown for the time being.

M-Hero

On the M-Hero side, a brand founded six years ago as a new energy hardcore off-road division, the dramatic M817, or Hero II in certain markets, will make its arrival on back of receiving its first update in May this year.

Fundamentals

Only introduced in China last year as a step up from the 917 that launched M-Hero, the M817 features a styling language called Heroic Soul Aesthetics 2.0, which reportedly draws from Dongfeng’s long standing relationship with the Chinese military.

A key aesthetic aspect of both the M917 and M817, the latter’s dimensions are as follows:

• Length

  : 5 100mm;

• Wheelbase

  : 3 005mm;

• Height

  : 1 899mm;

• Width

  : 1 998mm.

Available, outside China, in Russia and the Middle East, the M817 rides on a body-on-frame platform, complete locking front and rear differentials, a Craw function, dual-chamber adaptive air suspension, rear-wheel steering and a 360-degree turn function called M-Hero turn.

M817 has been 222mm and 333mm of ground clearance. Picture: M-Hero Europe

According to official M-Hero Qatar press material, the M817 has 222mm of ground clearance, which increases to 333mm in its off-road mode.

In total, seven off-road modes are offered:

• Auto;
• Wading:
• Mud;
• Rock;
• Sand;
• Deep Snow;
• Light Snow.

As standard, the M817 has a claimed wading depth of 700mm, which increases to 900mm with the air suspension set to its highest setting.

Spec

On the specification front, the M817 has been outfitted with the following:

• 18 or 20-inch alloy wheels;
• heated windscreen washer nozzles;
• electrically retractable side-steps;
• soft-touch closing doors and tailgate;
• illuminated grille;
• dual-zone climate control;
• ambient lighting;
• heated and ventilated electric front seats;
• 10.25-inch instrument cluster;
• heated and cooled centre console;
• type-A and type-C USB ports;
• heated steering wheel and rear seats;
• 12 or-18-speaker sound system;
• ventilated wireless smartphone charger;
• 15.6-inch infotainment display;
• wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto;
• rear touchscreen displays.

Interior relies on physical dial and buttons, and is dominated by a 15.6-inch infotainment display. Picture: M-Hero Europe

Safety and driver assistance systems comprise:

• 360° camera system;
• transparent chassis-view camera;
• wave radar;
• Head-Up Display;
• Adaptive Cruise Control;
• Automatic Emergency Braking;
• Adaptive Matrix LED headlights;
• Forward Collision Warning;
• Door Open Alert;
• Lane Departure Warning;
• Blind Spot Monitoring;
• Rear Cross Traffic Alert;
• Reverse Automatic Braking.

Hybrid punch

Providing motivation, the M817 has a choice of two powertrains. In base form, combustion power comes from a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine that has been paired with a 31.7-kWh battery pack powering two electric motors.

The result is a combined 505kW/848Nm, an all-electric WLTP range of 110km and a total of 1 113km with the petrol engine included. The claimed 0-100km/h sprint time is said to be 5.2 seconds.

As part of the facelift, a more powerful 2.0-litre turbo-petrol can be selected paired to either a 51.9-kWh or 62.5-kWh battery.

According to autohome.com.cn, the former setup produces a combined 598kW/1 175Nm and the later, 715kW/1 241Nm.

The claimed electric-only range, this time according to China’s optimistic CLTC cycle, is 215km and 301km respectively, with the total being 1 365km and 1 450km.

Priced from 299 900 to 399 900 yuan, which amounts to between R726 554 and R968 820 when directly and converted taxes, more details of the M817 will only be announced come December.

Voyah

For the Voyah brand, founded in 2019, the Dream MPV has been selected as a direct rival for the Kia Carnival, GAC M8 and Mercedes-Benz V-Class.

On sale in China since 2021, but last updated in August last year, the Dream offers either electric or plug-in hybrid motivation, though it can be assumed that only the latter will come to South Africa.

Dimensions

Riding on a platform called ESSA or Electric Smart Secure Architecture, the Dream provides seating for seven in a 2-2-3 layout, with a four-seat option available solely in China.

Dream will be aimed directly at the GAC M8, Kia Carnival and Mercedes-Benz V-Class. Picture: Voyah UAE

Dimensionally, the Dream is as follows:

• Length

  : 5 315mm;

• Wheelbase

  : 3 200mm;

• Height

  : 1 820mm;

• Width

  : 1 980mm.

Spec

According to the Voyah UAE website, the Dream’s specification sheet includes the following:

• 20-inch alloy wheels;
• electric dual-sliding side doors;
• tri-zone climate control;
• panoramic sunroof;
• Alcantara-trimmed seats;
• electric, heated, ventilated and massaging front seats;
• wireless smartphone charging pad;
• heated, ventilated, massaging and electrically folding second row;
• 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster;
• refrigerated centre console;
• 10-speaker DynAudio sound system;
• 15.6-inch infotainment display;
• ambient lighting;
• 12.3-inch display on the passenger’s side;
• electric tailgate;
• 17.3-inch flip down display for the second and third rows;

Most recent facelift has seen the introduction of a third display on the passenger’s side. Picture: Voyah UAE

On the safety and driver assistance side, the Dream comes standard with:

• LiDAR;
• augmented reality Head-Up Display;
• surround-view camera system;
• Adaptive Cruise Control;
• Automatic Emergency Braking
• Forward Collision Warning;
• Driver Attention Alert;
• Lane Keep Assist;
• Highway Assist;
• Lane Departure Warning;
• Blind Spot Monitoring;
• Rear Cross Traffic Alert;
• Lane Departure Warning;
• Door Open Alert.

Plug-in hybrid only

Equipped with self-levelling air suspension, the Dream’s plug-in hybrid setup combines a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine with a 62.5-kWh battery powering two electric motors.

The result is an all-wheel drive layout, a claimed all-electric CLTC range of 310km and a combined power output of 490kW/915Nm, according to carnewschina.com.

Reportedly, the Dream will get from 0-100km/h in 5.9 seconds and reach a top speed of 203km/h. With the petrol engine included, the claimed range is 1 530km.

More later

Priced from 329 900 to 429 900 yuan, which amounts to between R799 234 and R1 041 500 without taxes and when directly converted, Dongfeng, as with M-Hero M817, is only expected to announce final pricing and spec for the Voyah Dream in December.