Regulator Filings Force BYD's Hand in Unveiling Sub-Brand SUV

BYD has been forced to publish official pictures of the second vehicle from its sub-brand Fang Cheng Bao after regulators published core details of it ahead of the planned launch.

According to Chinese automotive website CnEVPost, the premium SUV Bao 3 is the series production version of BYD’s Super 3 concept revealed at its spring event in Shenzhen. This battery-electric 5-seat vehicle occupies the midsize segment measuring 15.1 ft. (4.6 m), 6.2 ft. (1.9 m) wide and 5.6 ft. (1.7 m) high with a wheelbase of 9 ft. (2.7 m) and tips the scales at a very beefy 4,730 lb. (2,146 kg).

Nonetheless, it is powered by two electric motors, the front one claiming a maximum power of 110 kW (147 hp) and the rear boasting of 200 kW (268 hp) and claims a top speed of 125 mph (201 km/h). Its battery pack is the lithium iron phosphate unit supplied by BYD's battery division FinDreams Battery.

BYD officially launched the Fang Cheng Bao brand unveiled the brand's first model, the plug-in hybrid Bao 5 SUV, in August last year.

A company statement from BYD describes the Fang Cheng Bao brand as focused on “the increasingly personalized needs of consumers.” Its lineup will eventually cover off-road vehicles to sports cars.