The new BYD MPV will be officially released on August 30 at the Chengdu Auto Show. This car has previously been spotted in various spy shots, and there has been considerable speculation as to whether it will be called the Tang Max or Zhou. The mystery will be solved at 2:30 in Hall 9.
The unveiling announcement came from Lu Tian, GM of BYD’s Dynasty sales division, in a tweet on Weibo. As part of the message, it makes a statement saying something along the lines of “the curtain of the new dynasty will be opened.” This suggests that the new car has a new dynasty name. Tang has already been applied to a range of BYD SUVs, so the name Tang Max now seems highly unlikely. Unless BYD has chosen another dynasty name to give the new MPV, then Zhou seems almost certain.
As part of the tweet, Lu also included some spy shots of the new car. These, however, are still quite heavily camouflaged, which is obviously designed to keep us guessing right up until the event. We can at least though make out the silhouette, and we know that the car will be more than 5 meters, and it’s likely that the wheelbase alone will be three meters. From the shots we can see that the new car will have an imposing grill, this is somewhat of a trademark feature for the Dynasty series.
An interior spy shot from a different source shows the three rows of seats from the rear. The new BYD has a seven-seat layout arranged as 2 + 2 + 3. Up front, the car has three screens with a digital LCD instrument panel, a center infotainment screen, along with a dedicated passenger’s entertainment screen. In the second row, the two seats have independent armrests and seem to be electrically adjustable. Passengers sitting here also benefit from airplane-style tray tables, which come from the backs of the front seats. It looks as if there may be some controls on the back of the center console and possibly even a compartment for use by rear passengers. Between the two second-row seats is a small passage for entry to the third row. Each passenger in the third row appears to have an adjustable headrest.
The new MPV is expected to use BYD’s DM 5.0 technology. This has debuted with only two engines a 1.5 naturally aspirated engine and a 1.5 turbo. Most likely, the 1.5T engine will find its way into the new MPV as this engine has been the heart of the PHEV system in larger vehicles such as the forthcoming Han DM-i. The BYD472ZQB engine has a maximum power of 115 kW and, in the case of the Han, is matched with a 200 kW peak power TZ210XYD electric motor. Earlier reports suggested the Zhou would have an all-electric range of 200 km which is far greater than any other cars fitted with the DM 5.0 technology.
Prices are expected to be in the 250,000 – 350,000 yuan (34,450 – 48,200 USD) range. More information should become clear at the Chengdu Auto Show, although it is unclear whether that event will be just an unveiling or a full launch.
Source: Fast Technology
