Small/medium $35K SUV to lead BYD EV Australian charge

A sub-$40,000 SUV is planned to launch new all-electric car brand BYD in Australia in 2022.

Known as the Yuan Plus in China, where it is manufactured, the new BYD will wear different badges in Australia, with local details and pricing to be confirmed within months.

It will the first of three new BYDs planned for 2022 – including the EA1 hatchback that could be priced below $30,000 – with three more models slated for 2023.

EXCLUSIVE REPORT: New EV electric car calendar: Every new EV coming soon

Through importer Nexport, Chinese car maker BYD says it will begin selling the Yuan Plus in Australia by April next year, with pre-sales starting by the end of 2021. Each will be sold through the EVdirect portal that has been designed to accommodate multiple electric car brands.

Nexport managing director Luke Todd told EVcentral the Yuan Plus – under its new yet-to-be-announced name for Australia – was a logical mainstream model to kick off a brand planned to shake up the new-car market.

READ MORE: BYD details planned Australian rollout
READ MORE: Bold BYD plans for Australia as it plans mass EV onslaught
READ MORE: BYD electric ute could be built in Australia
READ MORE: Why China will soon dominate EV sales in Australia

The new EV is set to play in the sweet spot of the SUV market, straddling the compact and mid-sized categories and with sharp pricing Todd says will be competitive with petrol-powered vehicles.

“In October this year we’re going to be having a series of launch events where we’ll be releasing more detail about the Yuan Plus,” said Todd, emphasising that it will be called something different locally.

As Todd has been saying for a while now, the intention is to price the cars at a similar level to their ICE counterparts.

“It’s going to be sub-$40,000,” Todd told us, confirming “it’s going to be in the $30,000s”.

Best estimates are the Yuan Plus could play somewhere around $35,000, making it by far the most affordable EV in Australia.

The BYD SUV features the much-hyped Blade battery pack, which was developed by subsidiary company FinDreams and is claimed to produce less heat and be less susceptible to fire or explosion. Blade uses a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery chemistry similar to that used in the Chinese-sourced Tesla Model 3.

BYD is yet to release official details of the Yuan Plus, but various snippets and images have leaked on websites and social media platforms over recent weeks.

Images show a styling five-door SUV with clean lines and chrome details. It’s said to boast BYD’s latest “dragon face 3.0” design theme.

It rides on the new-generation e-Platform 3.0, which has a battery pack as part of the floor structure to optimise space and efficiency.

The Yuan Plus has a single electric motor that early reports suggest will produce 150kW and 310Nm.

That motor resides under the bonnet and powers only the front wheels.

EV range is reported to be between 430km and 510km using the optimistic NEDC measurement.

Nexport’s Luke Todd says the target is for all BYDs sold in Australia to have a realistic range of at least 400km and ideally upwards of 500km.

“Our view is in Australia any EV must have a minimum – even for city running – of 400km to be accepted in the Australian market.”

At 4455mm long, 1875mm wide and 1615mm tall the Yuan Plus is towards the larger of the compact SUVs on sale currently (the MG ZS EV is 4314mm long, 1809mm wide and 1644mm high). It’s also close in size to some of the smaller of the mid-sized SUVs, such as the Hyundai Tucson, Mazda CX-5 and soon-to-be-replaced Kia Sportage.

While the most natural rival for the Yuan Plus appears to be the MG ZS EV – currently the most affordable EV on the Australian market – Todd has previously said he wants it to compete with ICE rivals, tempting people out of petrol-powered alternatives.

BYD is among the most bullish of the new EV players planning an Australian play.

The BYD story kicked off locally with a limited number of EV taxis as well as just 15 BYD e6 people movers (priced from $39,999, plus on-road costs), which Nexport says have all been sold. Nexport is also selling the BYD T3 van from $34,950 plus costs.

But it’s 2022 when the importer plans to ramp up sales and the BYD presence with higher-volumes EVs. Todd says there will be at least three models on sale in Australia in 2022, as well as another three in 2023.

BYD is also a big EV player globally and until 2019 sold more EVs than any other brand (Tesla overtook BYD in 2019).

BYD denotes Build Your Dreams and includes a significant investment from US investment guru Warren Buffett.

BYD Yuan Plus pricing and specifications

Price: TBC, but expected to start around the $35,000 mark

On sale: April 2022

Size: small to medium

Weight: 1690kg

Drivetrain: Single front motor, 150kW/310Nm

Battery capacity: 50kWh and 60kWh versions

EV range: 410-530km (reported NEDC figures)

Top speed: 160km/h