Dongfeng put the Yipai M8 Tianyuan LiDAR edition on sale in China on 3 November, with the 600 Pro at 179,800 yuan and the 600 Max at 185,800 yuan. A launch package worth up to 50,800 yuan in trade-in, finance and warranty benefits brings the entry price down to 159,800 yuan, which is where the marketing will focus. The car shares its body and safety structure with the Huawei-equipped M8 already on sale, but swaps the Huawei hardware for Dongfeng's in-house Tianyuan system.
Photo: Nuo Nuo cars / Wikimedia Commons (CC0) — Illustrative: Dongfeng e-pi 008 from the same Yipai range.
Six real seats on a 3,025 mm wheelbase
At 5,020 mm long, 1,975 mm wide and 1,733 mm tall, with a 3,025 mm wheelbase, the M8 is sized to put three usable rows in a family car rather than two rows and a token bench. The layout is 2+2+2. With all three rows up the boot holds 369 litres, expanding to 1,794 litres with the third row folded, and there is a 37-litre front compartment for charging cables. Dongfeng counts 42 storage spaces, and the floor between the second and third rows is flat, with a 445 mm sill height that makes climbing in easier for children and older passengers.
Horizon instead of Huawei
The Tianyuan system runs on a Horizon Journey 6M domain controller with 25 sensors, including a Hesai lidar with a 200-metre range. It supports highway and city navigation assist, automatic ramp entry and exit, traffic light handling, and the usual parking functions including remote and multi-level memory parking. Automatic emergency braking is standard rather than optional. The cabin uses a Snapdragon 8295P chip and runs both the Doubao and DeepSeek language models, with a revised interface that supports user-built automation scenes.
Photo: Nuo Nuo cars / Wikimedia Commons (CC0) — Illustrative: Dongfeng e-pi 008 from the same Yipai range.
800V and a 15-minute charge
Battery cells come from CATL and sit in a housing produced with a 16,000-tonne single-piece die-casting process, a first for the segment according to Dongfeng. CLTC range is 600 km. The 800V architecture supports 4C charging, taking the pack from 30 to 80 per cent in about 15.5 minutes, and the car has been through more than 10 million km of durability testing across cold, hot and high-altitude conditions.
Comfort as the differentiator
Front seats are heated, ventilated and massaged, and the second row gets a reclining bench with a leg rest. The dash carries twin 15.6-inch screens and a 50-inch augmented reality head-up display, with a screen for the third row, an 8.8-litre heated and cooled box, 21 speakers and double-glazed side glass. The rear suspension uses aluminium H-arms. First owners get a lifetime warranty on the car and its electrics, a commitment that Chinese state-owned brands use to reassure buyers who plan to keep a car for a decade.
- 179,800 and 185,800 yuan before incentives, from 159,800 yuan after
- 5,020 mm long, 3,025 mm wheelbase, 2+2+2 layout
- 600 km CLTC, 800V, 4C charging, 30-80 per cent in 15.5 minutes
- Horizon Journey 6M with 25 sensors and a Hesai lidar
- Lifetime warranty for the first owner