Located in the heart of the Eurasian continent, Xinjiang is the farthest place from the sea in the world. Its arid climate results in over 40% of its area being desert and Gobi, creating a landscape filled with yellow sand that stretches for miles. Among these, the Great Desert region stands out as the most stunning and mysterious desert landscape.
Where is the Great Desert? The Great Desert in Hami, Xinjiang, is the only unmanned zone in China that can be legally traversed. It borders the Lob Nor and stretches 500 kilometers from east to west, boasting the most mature and diverse Yadan landforms in China and even the world. A thousand years ago, it was part of the Silk Road connecting East and West; today, it is a holy land for off-road adventures. On October 13, China National Heavy Duty Truck’s Bolden Pickup embarked on a journey through the Great Desert, marking the beginning of a Silk Road adventure.
The Great Desert is located within the Gashun Gobi, known as the “Eight Hundred Li Desert.” This area features the densest distribution of Gobi in eastern Xinjiang and the most complex terrain, showcasing unique sights such as relay stations, beacon towers, fossil hills, and ancient human habitation sites. The region is characterized by strong winds year-round, barren ground, undulating sand dunes, and weathered landscapes known as the “Devil City,” creating both vast expanses and mysterious, indistinct directions. The Bolden pickup team traverses this landscape, blending with the varied rock formations to capture breathtaking scenes filled with wild passion and natural vigor.
The surface of the Great Desert is predominantly Gobi, covered with loose stones and uneven terrain, posing a significant challenge to the suspension system and tires over long distances. The Bolden pickup, designed for off-road use, is equipped with four adjustable nitrogen shock absorbers, greatly reducing bumps during travel. The modified models come with large MT tires, handling prolonged harsh conditions with ease, while the factory models equipped with AT tires also performed well without any tire blowouts.
The prolonged and intense bumpy roads also test the vehicle’s reliability. The Bolden pickup utilizes a non-load-bearing body structure, with high-strength materials comprising over 45% of the body. Its torsional stiffness reaches 32,000 N·m/deg, enhancing its resistance to impact and deformation. The vehicle features a 235mm adjustable rear multi-link suspension that adapts to various rough terrains, while the chassis armor effectively prevents rising sand and stones from damaging components. Consequently, throughout the two-day crossing of the Great Desert, the vehicle experienced no failures.
In areas requiring off-road climbing on sand slopes and rocky paths, the Bolden pickup boasts a ground clearance of 230mm, an approach angle of 30°, and a departure angle of 26°, demonstrating excellent passing performance. Its powerful Weichai WP2H 2.0T diesel engine produces a maximum output of 190 horsepower, providing strong and sustained power for climbing and tackling slopes with ease.
The BorgWarner on-demand four-wheel drive system, front, middle, and rear differential locks, crawling mode, and seven driving modes (standard, economy, sport, sand, mud, snow, rock) further enhance the vehicle’s capabilities across diverse terrains, allowing it to roam freely through the desert and Gobi. Besides the standout performance of the off-road pickups and their modified versions, the passenger pickups in the team also showcased impressive off-road abilities due to their strong power performance and four-wheel drive system, successfully crossing the Great Desert.
In the unmanned zone of the Great Desert, while the Gobi offers a visual spectacle, it also brings swirling yellow sands and dust. Therefore, beyond reliability and strong power and off-road capabilities, the vehicle’s sealing performance is also tested. The Bolden pickup features passenger car-grade sealing, with gas leakage ≤ 50 SCFM, effectively blocking sand particles from entering the cabin, unaffected by wind and sand.
The first challenge of China National Heavy Duty Truck’s Bolden Pickup crossing in Xinjiang—the journey through the Great Desert—has been successfully completed. In the upcoming itinerary, the Bolden Pickup will continue to iconic Xinjiang locations like the Kumtag Desert, Flame Mountain, Bosten Lake, and Bayinbuluke, showcasing the stunning autumn scenery of Xinjiang and embracing more rigorous challenges, embodying the brand’s essence of international all-terrain capabilities.
