At the end of September in the Taihang Mountains, the wind already carried a hint of autumn chill. Changzhi is usually a quiet place, but for a few days, hundreds of people suddenly poured in—all Beijing Off-Road owners. Some drove from Xinjiang, some flew from Guangdong and then picked up their cars, their vehicles covered in mud spots that made it obvious they had really been out there driving. The scene was pretty stirring—a group of people driving their own hardcore off-road vehicles to the foot of the Taihang Mountains, not to compete, not to camp, just to get together.
"Above the Ridge, Passion Runs Together"—this was the theme of the 2026 Beijing Off-Road Global User Conference. The name sounds tough, but the atmosphere on site was anything but stiff. I've seen too many automaker user events—executives reading scripts on stage, people scrolling through their phones below, and when it's over, everyone racing to leave. This time was different. Everyone was talking—about the route they just finished, where they planned to go next, what they'd modified on their cars. That kind of relaxed vibe can't be faked.
Obsidian Edition Launched: 164,800 Yuan for a BJ40 That's "Modified from the Factory"
The BJ40 Range-Extended Obsidian Edition is officially on the market, with a refreshed price of 164,800 yuan. For that money, you could buy an entry-level joint-venture compact SUV. But here, you're getting a hardcore range-extended off-roader that does 0-100 km/h in 4.9 seconds. What does 4.9 seconds mean? You're the first one shooting off at a green light, and before the person in the next lane even reacts, your taillights are already out of sight.
Price isn't what I care about most. What I care about more is its MTO order model—put simply, whatever modifications you want, the factory installs them for you directly. Legal, warrantied, no need to mess around yourself. Anyone who's into off-roading knows that modifying is a pit. You spend tens of thousands on mods, then you might get stopped on the road, and if something happens, insurance might not pay out. Now Beijing Off-Road has made the full blacked-out exterior and performance package a factory option—what you buy is a "legally modified car." What they're selling isn't features, it's peace of mind.
Among the seven perks is a "five-year free rescue" offer. Think about that. Daring to promise five years of free rescue for an off-road vehicle means they truly have confidence in this car's reliability in the wild. Try taking a city SUV through no-man's land and see if the manufacturer dares to give you that promise.
Titan 700 Delivery: The Choice of Doers, More Convincing Than Ads
The Titan 700 is positioned as "one car, three uses, four-in-one"—commuting, business, and off-roading all in one. For entrepreneurs, what it saves isn't just the cost of buying three cars, but the energy of switching between scenarios. Drive to the factory in the morning, meet clients in the afternoon, take the family into the mountains on weekends—no need to switch cars or switch mindsets. This "no compromise across all scenarios" logic hits exactly the kind of practical, action-oriented people. They don't want to talk sentiment with you—they just ask one question: Can this car keep me from dropping the ball anywhere? The Titan 700's answer is yes.
The delivery timing was well chosen too. National Day is right around the corner—peak road trip season. Users pick up their cars and hit the road immediately, so the product experience is real-world from day one. Driving it on a trip to Xinjiang is far more useful than circling a dealership three times.
Star Tantalum 5X: Starting at 170,000, Huawei Smart Driving Stuffed into a Box
This car deserves its own section. The BAIC Star Tantalum 5X is BAIC Group's first global model, and the version with Huawei Qiankun Smart Driving starts at 170,000. For 170,000—the budget of an ordinary family SUV—you get Huawei smart driving, an all-terrain system, and plug-in hybrid power, all stuffed into a boxy body.
The boxy SUV segment has been pretty busy lately, with several new forces playing all sorts of fancy tricks. The Star Tantalum 5X doesn't compete on specs—it competes on "equalization"—smart equalization, three-power equalization, off-road equalization. High-level smart driving used to only be available on cars costing three or four hundred thousand; now it's installed at 170,000. Huawei Qiankun ADS 5.0 can automatically follow and avoid vehicles in urban areas, park itself remotely in narrow underground spaces, and automatically identify potholes and terrain changes in off-road scenarios. If you're a novice who hasn't done much off-roading, driving it into the mountains, the Taiji suspension covers for you, smart driving helps you judge road conditions, and two differential locks help you get unstuck at critical moments. The barrier isn't being lowered—it's being torn down.
Space deserves a mention too. The car is nearly 5 meters long, with a wheelbase of 2,877 mm and an 88.6% floor-area ratio. It looks boxy and tough on the outside, but sit inside and the rear is absurdly spacious—a 1.8-meter person still has two fists of knee room left. Fold the front seats down to make a 1.75-meter bed, and the trunk swallows 2,231 liters. Calling it a mobile living room that can climb mountains isn't an exaggeration. Display cars arrive at stores before October 1st, with pre-sales expected in mid-October. If you're really interested, go sit in one. Looking at specs a hundred times is nothing compared to what your butt tells you.
The Essence of the User Conference: Beijing Off-Road Is Playing a Big Game
Changzhi was a good choice. The Taihang Mountains have ready-made off-road routes, Changzhi has ancient villages and folk culture, and Beijing Off-Road has cars and users. Put the three together, and the "off-roading + cultural tourism" chain starts running. Owners come, spending stays local, and the local tourism industry gains a new calling card. The relationship between brand and user shifts from transaction to symbiosis. This is being pushed jointly by Beijing Off-Road and the Changzhi local government, and behind it is a fusion experiment of "auto industry + regional cultural tourism"—not just throwing together an event.
There's substance on the user ecosystem side too. KOC users, overseas users, and club trip leaders—three honor systems with on-site awards. Your users are willing to fly from the other side of the world to attend your event, and club trip leaders value their leadership honors more than money—that kind of moat can't be dug with product strength alone.
In the current hyper-competitive state of the auto industry, competing on specs no longer produces winners and losers. Everyone can make engines, everyone is buying smart driving solutions, and every spec sheet is full of stacked features. What truly keeps people around is a sense of belonging. Beijing Off-Road's smart move is that it makes users feel like participants, like part of the "ridge"—not just suckers handing over money for a car.
Final Thoughts:
Beijing Off-Road didn't shout slogans this time. Titan 700 deliveries, BJ40 Obsidian Edition launch, Star Tantalum 5X debut—three product moves对应 three market tiers. The user conference landing in Taihang, government-enterprise cooperation, cultural tourism linkage, global users gathering—put these moves together and they point to a clear strategy: from selling off-road vehicles to operating an off-road ecosystem.
The hardcore off-road category has been held hostage by specs and sentiment for too long. The Titan 700's "one car, three uses" is about breaking free, the Star Tantalum 5X's "three major leaps + three equalizations" is about expanding the circle, and the BJ40 Obsidian Edition's "factory-modified" is about lowering the barrier. If all three things are done right, the market will give the answer.
The only thing to watch is whether the operation of the global user ecosystem can be sustained. A user conference once a year is easy; daily community activity, benefits delivery, and cultural accumulation—that's the real test. Off-road culture is moving from niche to mainstream, and Beijing Off-Road has already set foot on this path. How far it goes depends on execution.
