The Dongfeng Mengshi is one of the Dongfeng entries the open record knows by name, and by little else. That is not nothing: a name in the catalogue is where a car's story starts to be recoverable.
The background
Dongfeng Mengshi was originally a family of 4×4 Infantry mobility vehicle/MRAPV/off-road vehicles developed by the Chinese Dongfeng Motor Group. Early generations of the vehicle are built with imported Hummer H1 chassis, while later generations are of indigenous design. Dongfeng Mengshi generally follows the trend of American military requirements.
For example, CSK-141 is the Chinese equivalent of an armor-plated reinforced Humvee, while CSK-181 is the Chinese equivalent of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle. The Mengshi name was later introduced as an independent brand focusing on electric high performance and heavy duty SUVs inspired by the introduction of the GMC Hummer EV, with its first product being the Mengshi 917 also known as the M-Terrain prototype. While the electric Mengshi vehicles are introduced under the new Mengshi brand, Dongfeng continues to launch internal combustion engine-powered Mengshi series vehicles under the Dongfeng brand, such as the MS600 introduced around the same time period.
Where it sits
Its Dongfeng stablemates include the Dongfeng Fengshen L7 and the Front Drive Motor.