Premium carmaking is not about charging more, but about building an irreplaceable emotional connection with buyers, according to Liu Jia, a senior executive at Dongfeng's Mengshi off-road brand. Speaking at the 2026 TEDA Automotive Forum in Tianjin on September 20, Liu said the industry is facing a trillion-yuan opportunity as off-roading shifts from a niche hobby into a mainstream lifestyle, driven by the growing weight of emotional value in purchase decisions.
The comments, reported by Gasgoo and republished by D1EV, come as Mengshi pushes into what it calls the 'impossible triangle' of off-road vehicles - balancing rugged capability, luxury comfort and intelligence in a single package. Liu said the company's M817 model, developed with Huawei's Qiankun intelligent driving system, tackles the problem through deep integration across perception, interaction and control layers, supported by four technology pillars including the Panshi chassis and high-output powertrains.
Standards for intelligent off-roading
Liu argued that the market is confused by vague terminology around intelligent off-road features. To address this, Mengshi has set up a joint laboratory with Huawei Qiankun and CATARC Information Technology (Zhongqi Xinke). A group standard for classifying intelligent off-road driving in passenger vehicles, titled 'Classification of Intelligent Off-Road Driving for Passenger Vehicles', has completed its draft for approval, Liu said. The standard establishes grades from S0 to S5, defining the division of responsibility between the system and the driver on unpaved surfaces, as well as safety baselines.
Mengshi, which draws on 57 years of military vehicle expertise at Dongfeng, has built its MORA technology platform and is expanding its X product line with the X700, aimed at a broader consumer base. Liu summarised the brand's approach to intelligent off-roading with three Chinese phrases: 'more off-road' (AI lowers the barrier to entry), 'more expansive' (broadening the horizons of travel), and 'more enjoyable' (making off-roading a comfortable pleasure).
The executive said hardcore and light off-road segments have grown several times over in recent years, reflecting a broader shift in consumer behaviour. The 2026 TEDA forum, one of China's major automotive policy and industry conferences, dedicated a session to how user-defined premium branding shapes emotional resonance with buyers.
According to D1EV, Liu's remarks underline a growing trend among Chinese automakers to treat software and intelligent driving as core differentiators in the premium segment, rather than relying on traditional luxury cues alone. The push for industry-wide standards is seen as an attempt to give consumers clearer benchmarks as the off-road category expands beyond its traditional enthusiast base.
