BYD will add a seven-seat plug-in hybrid SUV to its range by the end of the year. The goal of the Chinese tech company seems to be to challenge the very popular Land Rover Defender. In this perspective, the new crossover will have dimensions between the 110 and 130 variants of the Defender, and will be called Ti7. Under the hood, it will hide the new high-performance “DM-p” powertrain, consisting of a 1.5-liter turbo petrol engine, two electric motors (one per axle), and a 35.6 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery pack.
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BYD prepares a new off-road SUV
In terms of performance, BYD declares a 0-100 km/h sprint in 4.8 seconds and an official range in fully electric mode of 127 km. According to Autocar, it is effectively a larger version of the Denza B5. In China, the country of origin, the B5 and the Ti7 are sold under BYD’s Fangchengbao brand, a premium brand aimed at young people.
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But why won’t the Ti7 be sold as a Denza? A BYD UK spokesperson explained to Autocar that the difference lies in the fact that the B5, with a ladder frame chassis, was designed as an off-roader, while the Ti7 will feature a unibody body and is intended for buyers who want a rugged style but do not need off-road capabilities. We recall that in China the Ti7 is also available with a battery electric powertrain compatible with BYD’s “Flash” chargers, capable of delivering up to 1500 kW. However, at the moment there are no indications for our market regarding this version.
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