China’s electric vehicle maker, BYD Company Ltd. has officially announced their Dual Mode Electric SUV, the BYD Tang, is now available for pre-order for the anticipated price of 300,000 RMB (about US$48,300) before EV incentives.
The BYD Tang, announced at the 2014 Beijing Auto Show, is BYD Auto’s second generation DM 2.0 PHEV vehicle, and first of the BYD’s 5-4-2 platform models, which stands for going 0-100km/h (0-62 mph) in less than (5) seconds, having (4) wheel drive and use less than (2) liters of gasoline for every 100 km you drive (equal to 117.5 mpg US).
Tang SUV is fitted with an 18.4 kWh LiFe batteries. BYD claims an all-electric driving range of 80 km (50 miles) per charge.
The BYD Tang is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline engine rated at 205 HP and 320 Nm (236 lb-ft) of torque, as well as two electric motors, each producing 150 HP as well as 200 Nm (147 lb-ft) of torque, for a combined output of 505 HP and 720 Nm (531 lb-ft) of torque.
Similar to the BYD Qin, Tang gets its name from the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD), and is known throughout the world as the most prosperous of all the great Chinese Dynasties.
BYD expects orders for the Tang to surpass those for the Qin plug-in hybrid.
BYD also announced plans to launch two more plug-in hybrid SUVs for the Chinese market: the BYD Song, a mid-sized SUV; and the BYD Yuan, a compact SUV.
