--- title: "The Jeep Cherokee XJ Lives on as a Pickup With a Mitsubishi 4G63T in China" description: "The legendary Jeep Cherokee XJ off-roader was turned into a military truck in China, and then given a potent Mitsubishi 4G63T engine." date: "2023-11-10" modified: "2023-11-10" authors: - name: "James Gilboy" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/james-gilboy" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/the-jeep-cherokee-xj-lives-on-as-a-pickup-with-a-mitsubishi-4g63t-in-china" categories: - "Jeep News" - "Mitsubishi News" - "News" - "News by Brand" - "Trucks" tags: - "Cherokee" - "China" - "Jeep" - "Mitsubishi" - "Off-Road" - "suv/crossover" --- # The Jeep Cherokee XJ Lives on as a Pickup With a Mitsubishi 4G63T in China ![A Jeep Cherokee (XJ) and Mitsubishi 4G63T engine hover over a BAW BJ2022 pickup truck]() *\Jeep, Mitsubishi, BAW International\* China's car industry is a mix of copying, Frankenstein engineering, and originality that boggles the mind. They build everything from [a chibi Toyota Tundra with an Isuzu engine]() to a [fake C1 Chevy Corvette that's also a plug-in hybrid](). It may come as no surprise, then, that China is still building a derivative of the Jeep Cherokee (XJ) as a military vehicle. But what you wouldn't expect is that it's powered by [one of the greatest tuner engines ever, the Mitsubishi 4G63T](). And as you'd expect, its origin story is a rollercoaster ride. Telling it requires turning the clock all the way back to 1984, when [Jeep]()'s owner [AMC]() became the first western carmaker to establish production in China. Under government-mandated joint venture Beijing Jeep, it cranked out a combo of Russian [UAZ]()-based off-roaders and license-built [XJ Cherokees]() for the Chinese market. When Jeep was bought by [Chrysler]()—then in its Diamond Star Motors era—it became a cousin of [Mitsubishi](), which lent it the 2.4-liter 4G64, setting the stage for what's to come. ![BAW BJ2022 Warrior in 2007]() *BAW BJ2022 Warrior in 2007. *Max Smith, public domain** China produced the XJ [almost unchanged until the mid-2000s](), before adapting it into the Jeep 2500, 2700, and later BAW Qishi, which stuck around until 2014. Around this time, Beijing Auto Works (as it was now called) was developing a new military vehicle [with the help of Chrysler](): the BJ2022. When I say "new," I use that term loosely: It was based on the XJ, but with a slightly larger body and an added inch to the wheelbase. BAW also switched its front suspension from multilink to a choice of [MacPherson strut]() or leaf springs. As before, the rear is a leaf-sprung solid axle. ![BAW BJ2022 in military spec]() *BAW BJ2022 in military spec. *Web Archive via SinoDefence.com** [First built in 2005](), the XJ-derived BJ2022 would outlast the Cherokee, and remains in production today. Like [China's Hummer H1 clone](), it too spawned a civilian version, the Yongshi (or Warrior). Introduced in 2017 [or so](), it has been produced in a variety of body styles, from single-cab pickups to four-door SUVs, and with a variety of engines. While military models are said to use Isuzu and Nissan diesels among other motors, the civilian version is said by [Chinamobil.ru]() to employ a series of Mitsubishi engines. And one of them is a 4G63T. To be specific, it's the 4G63S4T, which isn't the same one you blew up in your old [Eagle Talon](). It still has an [iron block, TD04 turbo, and aluminum head](), but that head houses just a single camshaft. Power output slouches to 187 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque, but [can supposedly be brought up to 300 hp easily](). Throw on the DOHC head, some stronger rods and pistons, and it'll almost certainly be ready to push more than 400 hp at the wheels. ![]() ![]() ![]() It's not clear how widely produced this version of the BAW Yongshi is, but these trucks don't seem to be very hot sellers. [Good Car Bad Car]() reports only 7,889 *total* sales in China from 2017 through 2020, and the 4G trucks can only make up a fraction of those. But if you're getting ideas for your breakout build as a YouTuber, there's no need to learn Mandarin to navigate Chinese used car listings. It looks like you can just straight-up order one new from BAW through [Made-in-China](), which offers it in single- and [crew-cab spec](). The only transmission option is [a six-speed manual](), and a two-speed four-wheel-drive transfer case is standard. The cost? As little as $9,000. Obviously, it'll be a cold day in hell before you could ever register a BAW Yongshi with the DMV, but you could do worse when it comes to [farm trucks](). Or for that matter, a race truck, if you're willing to gamble on a mutated Jeep XJ with a Mitsubishi engine. If you aren't, someone else probably is, and they're gonna build the ugliest goddamn [sand rail]() you've ever seen. And that's saying something. *Got a tip or question for the author? You can reach them here: james@thedrive.com* ## Author James is a former staff writer for The Drive. He has changed the conversation around electrification, debunked misinformation online, and become a prominent hunter of what he calls "automotive cryptids." ### Author social links [Instagram]()