BYD ends production of vehicles with pure internal combustion engines; focus on plug-in hybrids, EVs

BYD ends production of vehicles with pure internal combustion engines; focus on plug-in hybrids, EVs

Chinese manufacturer BYD has stopped producing purely internal combustion-engined vehicles, and has turned its attention to making fully electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, Reuters reported.

“In the future, BYD will focus on pure electric and plug-in hybrids in the automobile sector,” the manufacturer said in a statement issued to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, according to the report.

This is not the end of BYD producing internal combustion engines, however, as the manufacturer will still produce small-displacement petrol engines for use in plug-in hybrid powertrains. The manufacturer’s move to halt the production of models using purely internal combustion powertrains is in response to the Chinese government’s pledge to bring its carbon emissions to a peak by 2030, according to the news wire.

The Chinese manufacturer sold 104,878 units of new energy vehicles (NEVs) in China in March, marking the brand’s highest-ever monthly sales figure and multiplying from the 24,218 units sold in the same month last year. Of these, 53,664 units were pure electric vehicles and 50,674 units were plug-in hybrids, and 540 units were commercial NEVs.

BYD ends production of vehicles with pure internal combustion engines; focus on plug-in hybrids, EVs

While the automaker has emphasised its focus on partially and fully electrified vehicles, it will continue to provide aftersales and spare parts support for customers of purely internal combustion-engined models throughout their lifecycle, the statement added.

The latest model to emerge from BYD is the Seal, a fully electric model based on its e-platform 3.0 architecture that is to rival the Tesla Model 3. The latest EV from the Chinese automaker employs an 800-volt electrical architecture, and through its Blade EV battery packs, will give the Seal a range of up to 700 km per charge.

Rear-wheel-drive versions of the Seal EV come in 204 hp and 312 hp variants, while the top-performing dual-motor version features a 217 hp front axle motor that joins the 312 hp unit at the rear for a total system output of 530 hp. In this top output guise, the Seal has a claimed 0-100 km/h time of 3.8 seconds.

Production of the BYD Seal will be at the firm’s Changzhou plant, where 60,000 units will be produced annually and the company aims to sell 5,000 units of the Seal per month. This has been confirmed for an Australian-market launch, where it will be badged as the Atto 4, according to CarNewsChina.

GALLERY: BYD Seal EV

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Mick Chan

Open roads and closed circuits hold great allure for Mick Chan. Driving heaven to him is exercising a playful chassis on twisty paths; prizes ergonomics and involvement over gadgetry. Spent three years at a motoring newspaper and short stint with a magazine prior to joining this website.

 

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