BYD Tang 542 Plug-In Hybrid Electric SUV (505 Horsepower) For Just $35,000? It Seems So..
Those on the lookout for a new plug-in hybrid SUV have an interesting new option on the table with the upcoming release of the BYD Tang 542 plug-in hybrid SUV — which may have a price tag as low as $35,000 when released in China, according to Car News China.
Of course, this all only applies if you happen to live in China. For the time being anyways. Perhaps BYD will this year finally deliver on its promise to enter the American market?
The new 505-horsepower model’s name refers to its specs pretty directly — 0-60 acceleration in under 5 seconds; 4-wheel drive; and a fuel-consumption of around 2-liters per 100 km. Nice…
Here are further details courtesy of Gas2:
Thus, 542, with the official specs giving the drivetrain 505 horsepower and 530 lb-ft of torque. Most of that comes from a pair of 150 horsepower electric motors (one on each axle), with a 205 horsepower 2.0 liter turbo also contributing. BYD claims an all-electric driving range of 50 miles per charge, and that 2-liters per 100 km works out to about 117 MPG. But the real draw here will be the price.
Marketed at an aggressive $48,000 off the dealership lot, local and national incentives could bring the price down to just $35,000 in many parts of China. That is about half what the Tesla Model X will cost, the closest rival to the Tang 542, and also rivals many short-range electric cars as well. However, BYD also plans to offer a tricked-out version of the Tang with acceleration from 0 to 60 MPH of just 4.4 seconds and a $100,000 price tag. While not nearly as fast as the Tesla P85D, it’ll still outpace most of its big-bodied competition.
Worth noting here is that while BYD has yet to truly enter the American market with any consumer vehicles, it is planning to this year — whether that means that we’ll eventually see the Tang 542 SUV released here or not is an open question as of right now.
Image Credit: BYD
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Hmm… Warren Buffet bet big on BYD a few years back. Last year he went all in on the Van Tuyl Group, the largest privately owned auto dealership group in the United States. He’s also making a large play in renewable energy via Berkshire Hathaway Energy, formerly MidAmerican Energy.
Looks like Mr. Buffet will be selling us BYDs and the electricity to run these things pretty soon. Nice synergy.
China will be the next big Asian car exporter.
Good to see that they’re smart with battery + petrol.
Petrol in China is relatively cheap – parking is expensive though. You often pay more for parking costs in a month than petrol costs, especially in the tier one cities.
This is a good incentive to use public transport though, so its not a bad thing.
Our own costs in Shanghai are roughly 400-600rmb a month for a small Peugeot. Parking is close to double that! (400rmb @ home + 20rmb hr out and about)
Tesla has done well if I look about in Shanghai. A few years ago I only saw 1 Tesla on the road (imported at heavy cost), now you can spot one every 5 minutes.
The future is electric!
Nice to hear about all those Teslas. I have a feeling soon you´ll be seeing one every minute or so 🙂
Thank you for the first-person details and perspective from Shanghai!