Dongfeng's Mengshi Brand Unveils New Electric Off-Road Vehicle and Highlights Smart Glass Technology

Dongfeng's Mengshi brand, a significant player in the company's "Eastern Wind Rises" and "Technological Leap" strategies, is dedicated to creating a world-class Eastern off-road experience. Zhang Erong, manager of the Body System Room at Dongfeng Motor Group's R&D Institute Mengshi Development Center, announced that the second major product, the Mengshi M817, is now available for pre-order. As the trend of integration between intelligence and luxury accelerates, smart glass is becoming increasingly crucial in the high-end cabins of the Mengshi series. Smart glass must provide dynamic light control, intelligent thermal management, and low energy consumption while meeting high safety standards such as ultra-high strength, impact resistance, and false trigger prevention. It also supports information integration display and multimodal interaction, enhancing the vehicle's technological feel and comfort. On July 23, 2025, at the 2025 Automotive Smart Glass Innovation Technology and Application Conference, Zhang highlighted that smart glass technology is progressing from singular technological breakthroughs to full-stack experience reconstruction, becoming a key carrier that connects user experience and technological aesthetics. He noted that smart glass technology is rapidly evolving, with breakthroughs not only in areas like color-changing materials, flexible glass, and nano-coatings but also in cross-domain integration, such as integration with environmental perception systems. User experience-focused innovative scenarios are becoming increasingly important, with future advancements allowing for biometric adaptive features that enable seamless interaction and emotional resonance, making smart glass an essential interface for perception and interaction in smart cabins. The Mengshi brand's technological architecture and luxury genes are at the core of Dongfeng's strategic layout, aiming to create a world-class Eastern off-road experience. The brand's logo is inspired by ancient warrior armor, with the outer M symbolizing a robust mech style and the inner M representing the Mengshi Smart Off-Road Architecture (M TECH) core technology, while the V-shape design conveys an unbeatable brand spirit. The first model, the 917, launched in 2023, innovatively combined smart circuits with rugged off-road architecture, completing all-terrain validations including rock climbing and navigating through 900mm deep water. The M817, set to launch in 2025, features a wheelbase of 3 meters, six exclusive body colors, and the majestic aesthetics 2.0 design language, achieving a minimum turning radius of 5.2 meters through rear-wheel steering. Mengshi's luxury cabin redefines the user experience with seven luxury standards: visual luxury delivers a lion-like intimidation through its fierce front design paired with an interior themed around vast landscapes and solid wood decorations; safety luxury relies on a tank-level cage structure and ten horizontal beams, undergoing rigorous safety tests; off-road luxury integrates eight intelligent modes, enhancing the vehicle's all-terrain capabilities. Health luxury is achieved through 100% amine-free eco-friendly materials, while space luxury innovates with a five-seat-to-three-bed layout, accommodating ample luggage. Technological luxury incorporates Huawei's advanced driving systems, and detail luxury ensures comfort with high-end materials and sound systems. The core functional requirements for smart glass in the luxury cabin include dynamic light management with adjustable transparency, safety standards exceeding ECE regulations, and privacy protection features. The evolution of smart glass technology focuses on three core areas: basic material development, system integration, and scenario innovation. The industry faces challenges such as a lack of standard systems and insufficient integration of perception systems, necessitating a collaborative innovation mechanism among material suppliers, OEMs, and technology companies. The evolution of automotive glass technology is shifting from functional enhancement to experience reconstruction, aiming for a new industry ecosystem of standard co-construction, data sharing, and mutual recognition.