Update: The content has been adjusted based on content provided to CnEVPost by a source.
BYD's F brand is positioned between the Denza and Yangwang and is expected to be priced between RMB 400,000 and RMB 600,000.
(Spy photo of the first model of BYD F brand obtained by CnEVPost)
BYD's yet-to-be-announced new brand with the codename F Brand will feature the company's new powertrain and will be positioned slightly below the high-end Yangwang brand, CnEVPost has learned.
The first model of BYD's F brand, codenamed "SF" internally, will be a hardcore crossover SUV, a source told CnEVPost.
The model will be equipped with BYD's new hybrid powertrain, not the extended-range system previously rumored by some, the source said, adding that it will have a combined range of 1,200 kilometers.
The new car's powertrain has a maximum output of more than 500 kW and will use a body-on-frame structure to compete with the Mercedes-Benz G-Class.
Positioned between Denza and Yangwang, the BYD F brand's model is expected to be priced between RMB 400,000 ($57,400) and RMB 600,000 and will be available for pre-order within this year, according to the source.
BYD said at an event marking the launch of the company's 3 millionth new energy vehicle (NEV) on November 16 last year that it would launch a new, highly specialized and personalized brand in addition to the Yangwang brand in 2023.
The new brand will meet the increasingly personalized needs of consumers, and it will focus on building with users, BYD chairman and president Wang Chuanfu said at the time.
Last month, local media reported that the brand's internal code name is F brand. BYD subsequently confirmed it.
Several spy photos obtained by CnEVPost today show that the model's silhouette is similar to that of the U8, the first model of BYD's premium brand Yangwang.
BYD officially unveiled the Yangwang brand on January 5, along with the Yangwang U8 and Yangwang U9, the former a hardcore off-road SUV and the latter a supercar.
BYD did not announce pricing information for the two models at the time, although sources at the company had previously said that the Yangwang products were expected to be priced at RMB 800,000-1.5 million.
There is no more information about the F brand l, but it can be expected that its models will be priced lower than the Yangwang brand.
($1 = RMB 6.9705)
Spy shots: This could be what BYD F-brand's 1st model looks like