BYD Will Offer a Hybrid in 2024

The world leader in electrified vehicles will announce in January 2024 the commercialization in France of its BYD Seal U SUV in hybrid version.

At BYD, they certainly like to do things differently! For a “normal” car manufacturer, the logic would be that the transition to all-electric involves starting with hybrid. You begin with a light 48V hybridization to avoid the tax penalty and freely promote the virtuous transition made to save the planet, trees, and our children. Then you move on to plug-in hybrid, which is much more complicated to fit into a chassis designed for internal combustion. But a paradigm shift has occurred: drivers can now drive in zero-emission mode for several kilometers, from city centers to highways. With a bit of luck, this driver will realize that electric is perfectly suited to their lifestyle and may decide to purchase a model from their preferred brand at a dealership.

And well, at BYD, after launching 5 electric models, they are preparing to offer a hybrid model. To convert drivers to internal combustion? No, of course not. The goal is simply to attract this still hesitant clientele to electric by ticking the ‘discovery’ box that was missing until now. It is also an honest acknowledgment that full electric is not yet suitable for everyone, and that sometimes a versatile hybrid is better than an ill-suited or poorly used internal combustion or electric vehicle.

The BYD Seal U has a design very similar to the sedan Seal but in SUV format. Exactly what Tesla did to create the Model Y based on the Model 3. The success of both models validates the concept. This vehicle is called in the rest of the world BYD Song Plus DM-i. It features a 1.5-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine combined with an electric motor for a total power of 197 hp. This version can travel between 110 km and 150 km in full electric mode, depending on the battery chosen.

All technical information and prices will be announced at the beginning of the year.