BYD Targets Europe For Hybrid Sales

Edward Niedermeyer
by Edward Niedermeyer

Say what you want about Chrysler's new marketing slogan, at least their name isn't Build Your Dreams. Automotive News (sub) reports that the Chinese manufacturer showed their potentially game-changing plug-in, parallel/serial "dual-mode" drivetrain at Geneva, where the reaction was so strong that several European distributors are now negotiating for rights to the brand. Besides operating in parallel and serial hybrid modes as the circumstances require, the drivetrain's recorded 110km range on a plug-in charge is nearly five times the rumored range of the yet-to-be-released Prius plug-in. Plus, BYD has a 248-mile range, all-electric version of its F6DM sedan currently plying the streets of Beijing in taxi form. Of course, as with the development of any new, high-tech drivetrain, the cost is excessive– try a nearly $8k premium over sticker price. BYD says that European distribution depends on finding creative ways to cut costs, and since parent BYD Group has battery manufacturing plants in Romania and Hungary, Euro-market BYDs could be made somewhere in Eastern Europe. European distribution is targeted for 2010, unless of course it is all just a dream.

Edward Niedermeyer
Edward Niedermeyer

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  • Cammy Corrigan Cammy Corrigan on Apr 08, 2008

    Forget all the hybrid and copyright malarky! Does anyone remember how Chinese cars fared in a crash test?! Here's a reminder: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7rrk3ZjN-I

  • Menno Menno on Apr 08, 2008

    Hi, Katie. The ironic thing is that the Chery Amulet is nothing more or less than a 10 or 12 year old SEAT Malaga design (actually built on license, not stolen - just for a change). You want to see a REAL wreck, try a 1970's era Holden Commodore. Ouch. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caOqD54oxRA At least the trunk survived....

  • Steronz Steronz on Apr 08, 2008

    Donal: I also question that number... I can't find any confirmation of that, and everything out there says they're not even planning on producing the F6E (pure EV) until the second half of 2008. The closest I can find is the F3E (the Corolla version), which supposedly gets 350km per charge, or about 215 miles. But I'm not sure if that's been independently verified either. BYD manufactures these same iron batteries for use in the OLPC laptop, so they have production experience with the technology in a proven, low-cost product, so their claims have some legs IMO.

  • Wmba Wmba on Apr 08, 2008

    Should be fine in Europe. Their Accord is, was, whatever, the Acura TSX, whereas this BYD thing looks like the North American last gen Accord. Doesn't seem to matter, anyway. Check this: " FRANKFURT, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Two models built by Chinese carmakers have been approved to go on sale in Europe, paving the way to launch them next month, industry paper Automotive News Europe reported on Saturday. It quoted Tatyana Podkatelow, a spokeswoman for German importer China Automobile Deutschland, as saying the Zhejiang Jonway UFO and Shuanghuan Automobile CEO models had both received European Union approval. The models are controversial because their appearance is similar to rivals. The UFO looks like the Toyota RAV4 sport utility vehicle SUV and the CEO resembles the BMW X5 SUV, the paper said. BMW, which started legal proceedings to stop the CEO's launch last year, still hopes the courts will halt European sales, it quoted BMW spokesman Andreas Lampka as saying. It cited a Toyota spokesman as saying that the Japanese carmaker would not take legal action to block the UFO's sale." Now that we have CEOs and UFOs on sale, maybe they'll make copies of Rick Wagoner and Bob Lutz respectively and sell them as well. Plug-in serial and parallel models, naturally. Watch them hop silently down the road with a 350 yard range.

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