BYD Auto

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BYD Auto
比亚迪汽车
Type Public
Founded 2003
Headquarters Flag of the People's Republic of China Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
Flag of the People's Republic of China Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
Key people Wang Chuanfu, Chairman
Industry Automotive
Products Automotive goods
Parent Flag of the People's Republic of China BYD Company Limited
Website www.byd.com


BYD Auto (simplified Chinese: 比亚迪汽车; Pinyin: Bǐyàdí Qìchē) is a Chinese automobile manufacturer based in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China. The firm was founded in 2003 and it is a part of the BYD Company Limited. The BYD company, established in 1995[1], is one of the world leading manufactures of lithium-ion battery. Based on this background, BYD Auto has ambitious plans for hybrid and electric automobiles.

BYD Auto's current English tagline or slogan is Build Your Dreams.

Contents

[edit] Company Profile

BYD Auto is a sub-company directly affiliated to BYD Company Limited. In 2003, BYD formally acquired Shaanxi Qinchuan Auto Company Limited and established BYD Auto to enter automobile manufacturing and sales embarking on the road to developing a national brand. BYD Auto focuses on developing “independent R&D, brand and development”, and targets “making world-class outstanding cars”, “creating a national world-class car brand” to promote the national automobile industry of China. At present, BYD has established four major industrial bases in Xi'an, Beijing, Shenzhen and Shanghai, and has gradually improved the industrial pattern reaching international leading levels with respect to complete car manufacturing, module development and model R&D. BYD Auto has set up a top-class R&D center in Shanghai, possessing a skilled automobile R&D team consisting of ~3,000 personnel and obtaining over 500 state R&D patents every year. The company has set up an internationally leading car product line in Xi'an, with total production capacity of about 200,000 units per year. It has set up a modern automobile town in Shenzhen, with potential total production capacity of about 300,000 units, as well as the second R&D center, making it a high-and-medium car production base of BYD Auto. The module manufacture center in Beijing has developed a professional industrial pattern with certain scale, capable of making complete car modules for world famous car brands.

In 2006, BYD Group realized sales income RMB 12.9 billion, with a year-to-year increase by 101%. The F3 car industry performed prominently that major model F3 realized sales quantity of 63,153 units, with a year-to-year increase by 472% with sales income nearly RMB 5 billion. Over 5,000 units F3 cars were exported overseas to 16 countries and regions. In 2007, BYD Auto released F3R, F6 and F8 major models to realize sales quantity of 100,000 units and enter the mainstream of automobile manufacturers in China.

Since 2007, monthly F3 sales quantity of BYD F3 has broken through 10,000 units continuously with great momentum. In July, another two-carriage medium-class car F3R was released in China, and triggered a new sales storm of two-carriage cars due to its super power, great safety and cool appearance. On June 18, 2007, when the 100,000th BYD F3 was successfully off the product line, F3 became the independent brand model that breaks through sales quantity record of 100,000 units at the fastest speed. On August 8, 2007, F6, the first medium-high-class business car of BYD, was off the product line in BYD Shenzhen Pingshan Base, symbolizing the start of the marketing of the independent brand in the medium-high-class car market. BYD Shenzhen Pingshan Base covers an area of 1,800,000m2. Until now, BYD Group has developed a huge industrial layout with an area of 7,000,000m2. Driven by the energetic development of the group, BYD Auto will take a the leading position in the automobile industry through its powerful strength.

[edit] History

The firm was created when BYD bought the bankrupted government auto maker Qinchuan and acquired one of the tightly controlled permissions to produce automobiles in China. This method of permit acquiring is called "buy a shell"[citation needed], and has since been banned.

[edit] Models

With the acquisition of Qingchuan, BYD Auto also acquired one model, called Flyer. As of 2007, the Flyer sells less than 100 units per month.

The company's F3 is more successful, selling over 10.000 units per month in first half of 2007. In addition to F3, the company has unveiled the new models F3R, F6, F8 and F1.

BYD Auto is involved in the development of electric vehicles. It currently makes the F3e, which is the electric version of the F3 model, which has a claimed cruise range of 350 kilometers on a single charge. Electric versions of all its models, as well as plug-in versions are planned. The company also produces electric vehicle charge stations and car batteries specifically designed for electric vehicle applications.

On October 11, 2007, BYD announced that they would be introducing a production plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) sedan in China in the second half of 2008. BYD plans to exhibit the PHEV, which has a 60 mile all-electric range in January 2008 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Based on BYD's midsize F6 sedan, it uses iron-phosphate based lithium-ion, and can be recharged to 70 percent of capacity in 10 minutes.[2]

[edit] Production models

  • BYD Flyer
  • BYD F1, a low cost car.
  • BYD F2 (BYD 213)
  • BYD F3
  • BYD F3-R
  • BYD F6
  • BYD F8

[edit] Prototype/Concept models

[edit] Delivery

BYD Auto is planning on using its experience in mobile phone battery development to construct dual-mode, gasoline-electric hybrid plug-in vehicles to be sold in Europe by 2010. [4]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Company Profile - www.byd.com
  2. ^ Edmunds (15 October 2007) "Detroit Show Preview: BYD's New Plug-in Hybrid on Sale Next Year" Edmunds Inside Line retrieved 26 October 2007
  3. ^ F3e Concept Electric Car Powered by Iron-based Battery - AutoblogGreen
  4. ^ Small Carmakers: BYD,Fisker to Europe; Tesla Sues Fisker - CalCars.org

[edit] External links