Since late 2013, the staple of BYD EV sales have been via plug-in hybrids - first with the Qin and then later also Tang.
BYD Qin EV300 & e5 (left)
But, as you can see in this year's sales chart (above), plug-in hybrids have begun to fall off, while new all-electric sales (comprisd of the e6 with newcomers e5 and Qin EV300) have grown much stronger - taking the majority of sales (70% in October).
Whether it's related more to do with the increasing battery capacity and range of all-electric models, or higher demand from fleets (BYD always targeted BEVs for fleet and PHEVs for retail consumer) is still an open question.
As BYD is largest plug-in car manufacturer in China (and for the world) it perhaps indicates some shift in the general demand towards all-electric models now as they improve in range and functionality.
BYD October sales breakdown:
- e6 – 3,118
- Qin EV300 – 2,124
- e5 – 1,943
- Qin – 1,538
- Tang – 1,529
- 48 kWh battery for up to 300 km (186 miles) range or maybe 150 - 160 miles (240km – 257km) under EPA we would bet
- 160 kW/310 Nm electric motor
- Qin EV300 accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 7.9 seconds
About this article