Update: ‘Design & Specifications’ section added.
According to a report from d1ev.com, BYD R (internal codename for BYD’s upcoming premium EV brand) will first launch a hard-core off-road electric vehicle, which could be followed by launches in segments such as the electric MPV and electric sports coupe.
On BYD’s upcoming premium brand
At the 2021 Guangzhou Motor Show (19-28 Nov 2021), Du Guozhong, deputy general manager of BYD’s brand and public relations division, said that the initial model from the future premium brand, and the brand itself, will be launched in the first half of 2022. Obviously, the plan is facing a delay, since no such announcement happened by June 2022. The name of the brand is to be finalized, but as per d1ev, it would be trendy. The report adds that the codename ‘R’ signifies the English word ‘Revolution.’
In September 2021, BYD commenced deliveries of the Tang EV in Norway, and once the premium brand is launched in China, it should ship those vehicles to overseas markets. Image: BYD
Design & Specifications
Du Guozhong said that the first model of the high-end brand will be a hard-core off-road vehicle and arrive in the first half of 2022. The project is running behind schedule, but it does exist, spy pictures have revealed.
The first spy pictures of the R off-road SUV (view on Autohome) have revealed some interesting details about its exterior design. These images are of an early prototype which does not feature the production body. The headlamps, for example, look provisional. It’s a boxy, traditionally designed SUV, and from the sides and the rear, it reminds us of the Land Rover Defender 110, which will be one of its rivals. The British model’s prices start at CNY 798,000 (USD 119,009), and BYD has said the prices of the models of its high-end brands will fall between CNY 800,000 and 1,500,000 (USD 119,307 and 223,700).
BYD’s new product roadmap for the next 3 years had emerged on Chinese media portals late last year (published on Sohu), revealing further details about the future luxury brand. The first model will rival Mercedes-Benz’s G-Class, or “大G (Big G),” as the document states. It will be available as a PHEV and an EV, and the latter could rival the Mercedes EQG due in 2024.
Features
While we do not have product specs, the Chinese media indicate that the electric SUV (and an electric sports coupe which will follow) will feature a state-of-the-art powertrain. The launch vehicle will come with 800+ km (500 miles) of range, active suspension, and possibly four-wheel steering with BYD’s version of a CrabWalk (seen on the GMC Hummer EV).
Warren Buffett-backed BYD targets premium specifications for the sub-brand, and local media report the exterior and interior design will be unlike anything before. Image: BYD Atto 3‘s interior sketch courtesy of BYD.
The BYD Blade Battery should power the products, which features lithium iron phosphate and has singular cells arranged together and then inserted into the battery pack. It improves space utilization by over 50 percent, BYD claims. Combined with the BYD e-platform 3.0, we expect the upcoming electric SUV to hit 62 mph (100 km/h) in sub-5 seconds and offer an 800V charging architecture.
A product the sub-brand will look at introducing will be an electric MPV, considering the relaxation by the Chinese government on the two-child policy. On November 8, 2021, Zhao Changjiang, BYD’s director of the high-end brand, took to social media to collect feedback for a large 7-seat MPV. Other companies have scrambled to launch electric MPVs, and there are nearly a dozen expected by 2024, including the Maxus MIFA 9, Voyah Dreamer, and the Zeekr 002.
Featured Image: BYD MPV model, courtesy BYD
Keyword: BYD developing a rival to the Mercedes EQG off-roader: Report