There is a very interesting phenomenon that we are currently seeing in the Chinese market – there is a revival of the multi-purpose vehicle segment in the country. The minivan has almost completely died out in North America and Europe with only a few exceptions but in the People’s Republic, it enjoys strong demand from customers which motivates more and more automakers to develop and sell new products in the segment. One of the newest additions comes from the Trumpchi brand.
For starters, Trumpchi – which was once poised to enter the US market – is the luxury marque of GAC, one of China’s largest automakers. The M8 minivan was originally launched in 2017 under the GM8 name but for the new second-generation model released this year, the name was simplified to just the M8. And no, there’s absolutely nothing in common between the Trumpchi M8 and the BMW M8.
While the latter is one of the most powerful mass-produced coupes currently available worldwide, the former is a slightly odd-looking MPV for the Chinese market. New video from our friends and colleagues at Wheeled boy shows us the Trumpchi M8 in detail and we have to admit that – as odd as it is – the vehicle looks really cool. The massive radiator grille at the front seems to scream “I’m rich” to Chinese customers, which easily explains why this isn’t the only minivan in the market to sport this provocative styling.
However luxurious this MPV looks despite its controversial design, it is important to note that this is not an expensive vehicle. This top-priced hybrid model costs around $48,000 in China, which makes it less than a third the starting price of the Lexus LM, which is a very expensive machine.
Talking about the M8 powertrain, this minivan is available with two powertrain options. The more affordable model has a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 250 horsepower (186 kilowatts). Interestingly, the hybrid version apparently uses a Toyota-sourced electric powertrain, which has a 180 hp (134 kW) electric motor mounted on the front axle.
