BYD Ocean-X concept revealed

Chinese EV giant BYD has taken the wraps off a new mid-size performance car concept: the BYD Ocean-X.

Revealed in China overnight, the head-turning sedan is the focal point of BYD’s new e-platform 3.0, an architecture that will soon spawn a host of vehicles from the EV brand which is ramping up its presence in Australia with a variety of new passenger cars and SUVs.

BYD says the platform, which was first employed with the X DREAM concept shown earlier this year, enables a 150km range after a five-minute charge, plus greater efficiency in extreme weather conditions.

Luke Todd, the head of BYD’s Australian partner Nexport, told carsales today that the e-platform 3.0 would introduce important new intelligent safety systems and added performance across a range of upcoming vehicles.

“There are no immediate announcements in terms of product, this is really the initial reveal of one of the three platforms BYD are releasing,” Todd said.

“It’s a 1000km range platform that offers extremely fast capacity if needed; 2.9 seconds to reach 0-100km/h. Now, that’s probably not all that relevant for most motorists but it is a measure of the calibre of technology that BYD are bringing out.”

BYD’s e-platform 3.0 makes use of the car-maker’s Blade batteries and is compatible with 800V fast charging. In addition, standardised components and integrated platform parts are said to keep core component costs down.

There are few specific details on the Ocean-X, but the all-wheel drive sedan sits low and features a long wheelbase and short overhangs to maximise interior room.

There’s also heavy emphasis on aerodynamics, with the drag coefficient limited to 0.21Cd.

BYD is preparing to open the order book for the Yuan Plus small SUV in October ahead of first customer deliveries in April 2022.

“We’ve been focused on the final aspects of that vehicle ready for the Australian market,” Todd said. “We’ll be very vocal very shortly, providing more detail on pricing and specification.”

Todd wouldn’t be drawn on a ballpark pricing figure for the BYD Yuan Plus in Australia, however in June BYD targeted a starting sum of less than $35,000 for its first wave of – achievable in large part by its direct-to-consumer sales strategy.

“We will achieve price parity with the Yuan Plus – we will be at a price point where our vehicle will be equal if not lower than an equivalent internal combustion vehicle,” he said.

Already on sale in Australia is the BYD T3 Electric van (from $34,950) and BYD e6 people-mover (from $39,990), although the latter is only a limited-volume program.

The BYD T3 EA1 hatch is also expected in the first half of next year.

There are no plans at this stage to offer the BYD Han flagship luxury sedan that turned up last year for promotional duties.

Further afield, BYD is also planning an electric pick-up that could reach the Australian market as early as 2023.