Premium off-road SUVs have something of an identity crisis. While they’re built to take on rough terrain on the trail, most of them will spend their liftimes cruising on tarmac in urban environments.
Billed as a ‘high-profile SUV,’ BAIC’s B70 is the Chinese automaker’s upcoming flagship designed to take on luxury off-roaders. However, it aims to stand out by being an SUV that’s liveable both in the city and off the beaten path—an idea reflected in its Chinese market name, ‘City Hunter.’
In the looks department, there’s no denying where it’s pulling inspiration from. The rounded headlights inset into square slots are dead ringers for the Land Rover Defender, but that’s not to say the B70 doesn’t have character of its own.
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The large vertical grille and horizontal eyebrow-like daytime running lights certainly lend to an imposing presence. There’s also the “big hard/small soft” contrast design going on—despite the boxy overall silhoutte, its body proportions are actually quite curvy, especially on the fenders.
It shares a platform with its more hardcore tactical sibling, the B81, albeit with an extended wheelbase. We’ve also learned that BAIC went with a unibody construction for the B70 to enhance ride comfort, an increasingly popular manufacturing trend we’ve seen in other premium off-road capable SUVs like the Rox Adamas.
No official powertrain specs have been revealed so far, but considering the shared equipment with the B81, it might end up as a range-extended electric vehicle, too. Other expected features, include full-time AWD, all-wheel steering, a six-seat layout, deep water-wading capabilities, and even tank turns.
If the final spec sheet manages to include all that on top of the usual expectations for high-end SUVs, BAIC just might have something to take on Denza’s B8 head on. We’ll know sometime in the first half of 2027, when the B70 is planned to launch.
