BYD, one of the fastest-growing car makers in international markets, is apparently ready to launch another EV to join its growing electric fleet, to challenge the dominance of legacy car makers.
The latest model is dubbed the BYD Qin Max EV, and it appears to be a more affordable electric sedan that was sighted in regulatory approval documents run by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), and shared by CNC.
The new Qin EV Max is expected to start at around $A35,000 in the Chinese market.
The latest model will be slightly longer – 4,866 mm long – than the Seal electric sedan, which has proved popular in Australia with over 10,000 units delivered since 2023.
Interestingly enough, even though the latest Qin Max is longer than the Seal, the kerb weights found in the regulatory listing are significantly under.
Two weights are listed at 1,670 kg and 1,795 kg. This is fairly light compared to the Seal, which starts at 1,922 kg and goes all the way up to 2,185 kg, thanks to the bigger battery and dual-motor powertrain.
This could also indicate a smaller battery in the Qin Max EV compared to the Seal.
On the powertrain front, it’ll be powered by either 120 kW or 240 kW motors. Feeding these motors are two BYD lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) blade battery packs with capacities yet to be disclosed.
On the design front, the mid-sized sedan has a sharp front end with sleek styling across the profile of the car. From some angles, slight roundedness can also be seen compared to the Seal.
The door handles appear more conventional but are more flush with the door for improved aerodynamics and ergonomics.
The regulatory filing also reveals the option for a sunroof, which would be welcomed by some buyers and is expected to be an option, while standard vehicles are likely to come without it.
There will also be three types of wheels on offer across its variants, although the exact wheel size is not known as part of the documentation.
As of now, this model is likely to be only offered in the highly competitive Chinese EV market, but it will be worth keeping an eye on as BYD looks to see sales growth in international markets with affordable models in the near future.
The all-new Qin Max EV is expected to be launched in the coming months, probably in time for the upcoming Beijing Auto Show in April next year.
Riz is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.
