BYD, the Shenzhen-based electric vehicle maker, has started selling the seven-seat Great Tang sport utility vehicle in China for 239,900 yuan (US$35,500), after unveiling what it called its largest BYD-branded electric vehicle in Xi’an on June 17.

The 17-foot model is priced well below rivals such as Huawei-backed Aito’s M9 and Li Auto’s L9, which can cost up to 500,000 yuan (US$74,000).

BYD is pushing into a premium large SUV market where vehicles priced above 400,000 yuan (US$59,000) have contracted for several quarters.

BYD said it logged more than 150,000 pre-orders after first showing the vehicle at the Beijing Auto Show in April.

Chairman Wang Chuanfu said last week that production of the company’s second-generation blade batteries was struggling to keep up with demand.

The launch is notable because BYD has typically used Denza to target premium buyers, while the Great Tang puts a flagship SUV under the main BYD brand.

The Great Tang is also the biggest test yet for BYD’s newly developed high-voltage architecture.

The SUV is expected to use a 1,000-volt system capable of around 1 megawatt charging, and BYD said the long-range rear-wheel-drive version can travel up to 950 km under China’s CLTC testing cycle.

🔗 Source: Bloomberg

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