After investing in the assembly of electric bus chassis in Campinas (São Paulo countryside), the Chinese automaker BYD is turning to the sale of passenger cars that have batteries instead of a fuel tank.
The brand already sold some models with this technology, but only for fleets. Now the target is retail, and the debut occurs with a luxury car.
BYD Tan electric utility vehicle arrives with seven seats and premium car interior. The price goes the same way: around R$ 400 thousand, to be confirmed in 2022.
The model is in pre-sale, with the first deliveries scheduled for the first half of next year. The brand will be represented by the Eurobike group, which has long experience with luxury brands.
But is this Chinese really a premium car? After a first test, the answer is yes.
The automaker bet on a model very different from the old electric vans that arrived in Brazil. The Tan has all-wheel drive, a combined power of 517 hp and great-looking materials in the cabin. There’s a certain excess of tones and textures, but nothing feels shoddy or ill-fitting.
The multimedia center’s control panel is swivel: at the touch of a button on the screen or on the steering wheel, the display can go from vertical to horizontal. Needing doesn’t have to, but it will entertain the children on board.
Both the front seats and the steering wheel have electrical adjustments, something seen in models like the BMW X5 or Mercedes GLE, both with prices close to R$ 600 thousand.
The main advantage of the Tan is that it is 100% electric, with the capacity to run 437 kilometers in mixed use (city/highway), according to Inmetro. On the Haras Tuiuti track, in Tatuí (São Paulo countryside), the luxury SUV went from zero to 100 km/h in 4.4 seconds.
For comparison, the Audi e-Tron Sportback (BRL 605,000) completed the same test in 5.7 seconds, according to the Instituto Mauá de Tecnologia.
BYD — which, in addition to bus chassis in Campinas, produces batteries in Manaus — also intends to bring hybrid cars to Brazil. These models would enter a more competitive price range, to fight, for example, with the Toyota Corolla Hybris Flex (BRL 169.7 thousand).
Plans include possible domestic production of electrified passenger cars, but for now all vehicles will be imported from China.
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