BYD Advances Its “All EVs Great And Small” Strategy

BYD is having a breakout year. In 2024, it sold $107 billion worth of automobiles, trucks, and buses, up 29 percent from the prior year. People who make their living guessing about such things had estimated the company’s revenue would be about 11 billion yuan ($1.5 billion) less. Nevertheless, it beat Tesla, which reported $97.7 billion in revenue for 2024. BYD’s net income rose 34% to 40.3 billion yuan ($593 million), beating analyst estimates of 39.5 billion yuan, according to Bloomberg.

BYD’s fully electric passenger car sales almost matched Tesla’s — 1.76 million vs. 1.79 million — but its total deliveries, including plug-in hybrids, totalled 4.27 million, just slightly below total sales for Ford Motor Company. BYD stopped manufacturing convention internal combustion cars or non-plug-in hybrids in 2022. It still has a long way to go to catch Toyota, which sold more cars in 2024 — 10.8 million — than any other manufacturer, but it may just get there someday as it continues to introduce dozens of new models that cover the entire automotive spectrum from entry level to premium cars.

BYD Goes Low

On March 23, BYD introduced its Qin L battery electric sedan, which appears to be a direct competitor to the Tesla Model 3, with one important difference — if you live in China, you can buy two Qin L sedans for the price of one Model 3. Designed to appeal to younger consumers, the Qin L will offer two LFP battery packs, one rated at 46 kWh and the other at 56.6 kWh. The Model 3 has a 66 kWh battery pack. Range for the Qin L with the smaller battery is listed as 470 km, using the very generous Chinese testing cycle. With the larger battery, it is 545 km. EPA range would probably be at least 25 percent less. The Qin L will be available in three trim levels, priced at 119,800 yuan (16,500 USD), 129,800 yuan (17,900 USD), and 139,800 yuan (19,300 USD).

The Qin L is built on the BYD e-Platform 3.0 Evo  and is 4720 mm long, 1880 mm wide, and 1495 mm high. The wheelbase is 2820 mm and the car’s turning radius is 5.4 meters. We could convert all those measurements into inches, feet, and yards, but what would be the point? No Chinese made automobiles will be allowed in the US any time in the foreseeable future. It will feature the new BYD God’s Eye C driver assistance package that includes 5 millimeter wave radars, 12 ultrasonic radars, and 12 cameras for high-speed navigation, intelligent parking, automatic emergency braking, and blind spot monitoring. The Qin L will offer two permanent synchronous motor options — a 110 kW (148 hp)/220 Nm motor and a 160 kW (215 hp)/330 Nm motor that is available on models equipped with the larger battery. Power consumption per 100 km at 25ºC is 10.8 kWh. Using a DC fast charger, the battery can be charged from 30 percent to 80 percent in 24 minutes.

According to Car News China, the Qin L will come with the BYD DiLink 100 smart cockpit system. Entry level cars have an 8.8 inch full LCD instrument panel, a 12.8 inch floating central control screen, and a three-spoke multi-function steering wheel. The highest trim comes with a 12 inch head-up display, a 15.6 inch floating central control screen, and an integrated heating and cooling refrigerator. DiLink 100 is now integrated with DeepSeek AI technology. And here’s an interesting statistic. The trunk has a volume of 460 liters while the frunk has an additional 65 liters of storage space!

BYD Goes High

BYD also has the top end of the market covered with its Denza brand for premium automobiles, much the way Hyundai has Genesis, Toyota has Lexus, and Ford has Lincoln. This week, it also introduced its new flagship SUV, the Denza N9 plug-in hybrid SUV, with a price range of 389,800 to 449,800 yuan (54,000 to 62,000 USD) in China. The car is the first SUV equipped with BYD’s e3 “Yisanfang” technology, which can make the car crab walk, do tank turns, and control a 180 km/h high speed tire burst stability.

Built on the BYD e-Platform 3.0, the Denza N9 measures 5258/2030/1830 mm, with a 3125 mm wheelbase and a 3.2 meter long panoramic sunroof that spans all three rows. The onboard e3 three-electric-motor system supports independent steering of the dual rear motors. It consists of one front-mounted AC asynchronous motor and two permanent magnet synchronous motors in the rear — one for each rear wheel. The front motor is rated at 200 kW (268 hp)/315 Nm while the two rear motors combined are rated at 240 kW (322 hp)/360 Nm. The Denze N9 also has an onboard 2.0 liter turbocharged engine rated at 152 kW (204 hp)/325 Nm. The car is equipped with a 46.9 kWh Blade battery pack, good for an electric-only range of 202 km. Range overall is said to be 1,302 km. Using a DC fast charger, the battery can be charged from 30 percent to 80 percent in 19 minutes. The Lingyuan intelligent vehicle-mounted drone system jointly developed by BYD and DJI is available as an option.

The Denza N9 is equipped with the BYD “God’s Eye” B advanced driving assistance system, which is supported by a 128 line lidar, five millimeter wave radars, 12 ultrasonic radars, and 14 cameras. Its capabilities include automatic parking assistance in vertical/lateral/diagonal parking spaces, remote control parking, emergency lane keep assist, and blind spot monitoring.

The Denza N9 features seating for six with luggage space for six suitcases and six backpacks. There are also 46 storage spaces throughout the vehicle. The second-row seats support 14-way adjustability and are equipped with small tables, 50W wireless charging, and individual ventilation, heating, and massage functions. The third row of seats supports 6-way electric adjustment and have heating controls. The second row passengers also have access to an 11 liter refrigerator that can both warm and cool food. Things have come a long way since people used to cook their pork chops by wrapping them in aluminum foil and placing them on the exhaust manifold for an hour or two!

The front seat passenger will find a 17.3 inch central floating touchscreen, a 13.2 inch co-pilot screen, and a 50 inch head-up display. The top trim comes with an additional 13.2 inch LCD instrument panel. Other options include a 26 speaker Devialet sound system, a 17.3 inch rear ceiling screen, remote control via a mobile phone, an AI voice assistant, and Karaoke mode. Perhaps with this car, you could just sell your house and live in your car!

If you think $62,000 seems like a lot to pay for a three-row luxury SUV, perhaps you haven’t checked the prices for similar vehicles lately. The BMW X7 starts at $84,000, the Cadillac Escalade starts at $88,000, and the Lincoln Navigator starts at $99,995. The BYD Denza N9 is a relative bargain in comparison. At the rate BYD is going, how long will it be before it challenges Toyota and Volkswagen for the title of largest automaker in the world? Around the ultra-posh CleanTechnica headquarters, we think 2030 could see the upstart from China giving those established car companies a run for their money.