BYD's Fangchengbao 3 firms for Australia

BYD’s latest 4x4 SUV could be crushing rocks in Australia in the near future, with the recently announced Fangchengbao 3 Tai (Bao 3 for short) under consideration for Aussie delivery alongside the brand’s larger Prado and LandCruiser rivals – the Bao 5 and Bao 8.

Despite the name sounding like it was chosen by throwing Scrabble tiles at a wall, Fangchengbao roughly means ‘Leopard China’ and would likely be rebadged as the Denza B3 in Australia.

While the chunky Toyota RAV4-sized off-road SUV has not been officially confirmed for Australia, it is under serious consideration for local launch alongside the brand’s larger mud-plugging siblings.

Fangchengbao is BYD’s off-road sub-brand and the Bao 3 is the third and smallest vehicle in the series. Unlike the Bao 5 and Bao 8, it is not a PHEV with petrol and electric motors. Instead, it’s purely electric.

The electric SUV would slot into the competitive mid-size family segment currently dominated by the Subaru Forester, Toyota RAV4, and Mazda CX-5, but with a distinctly different proposition – genuine off-road capability wrapped in luxury packaging with mega acceleration.

BYD Australia reps confirmed to carsales that a business case is underway to determine the B3’s profit potential Down Under. However, they remained tight-lipped about timing.

When pressed for details, company spokespeople simply responded with “No comment”.

The Fangchengbao 3 Tai launched in China on March 31 with pricing starting of 220,000 yuan (roughly $A45,000), though that figure could climb significantly by the time it reaches our shores.

Nevertheless, it could be similarly priced to the new-generation Toyota RAV4 PHEV, which is likely to cost around $60,000.

The Bao 3 Tai – where Tai stands for titanium – presents a no-nonsense boxy SUV profile with a blacked-out front grille and chunky bumper styling. A rear-mounted external storage compartment reinforces its utilitarian credentials – it’s meant for storing your camping gear or smelly clothes.

Some other quirky features include an in-built DJI drone, designed to memorialise your epic adventures, along with a front trunk, or frunk, and several wireless microphones to enable a spot of in-car karaoke. The ability to subject innocent bystanders to Dad’s rendition of Sweet Caroline at traffic lights will be priceless.

At 4605mm long it’s only 5mm longer than what is currently Australia’s best-selling mid-size SUV, the Toyota RAV4, while at 1900mm wide it’s also 50mm wider.

At 1720mm tall and with a 2745mm wheelbase, it sits squarely in mid-size SUV territory, which also includes popular models like the Mitsubishi Outlander, Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage.

Inside, a floating digital instrument cluster pairs with a central touchscreen, while physical controls comprise a piano-key-style layout. The ultimate party trick is the optional (but impressively integrated) DJI Air 3S drone system for automated aerial photography – because apparently taking selfies from ground level is so last decade.

BYD’s ominous sounding ‘God’s Eye’ smart driving system comes standard with the Bao 3 family SUV, adding autonomous driving tech. This includes highway ‘Navigation on Autopilot’ functionality, which is supposed to drive the car almost completely by itself on the freeway.

The flagship dual-motor all-wheel-drive variant combines a 110kW e-motor up front with a 200kW e-motor at the rear, delivering a combined 310kW – roughly 422hp in the old money.

That’s enough grunt to hit 100km/h in 4.9 seconds – faster than some sports cars.

For those who don’t need quite as much firepower – or who simply want to save some coin – a rear-wheel-drive version uses a single 160kW/310Nm motor, covering the sprint to 100km/h in 7.9 seconds.

All variants deliver 501km of range under China’s CLTC test cycle, which means real-world figures will likely be lower – potentially around 450km given battery sizes vary from 65kWh in the RWD model to 78kWh in the top-spec drone-equipped variant.

A mid-tier 72kWh option for most AWD models is also available in China but, if the vehicle does get green-lit for Australia, it’s highly likely that just one or two powertrain options will be available, at least initially.

Charging tops out at a very competitive 237kW, enabling 30 to 80 per cent top-ups in just 18 minutes under ideal conditions, says BYD. This means you’ll have just enough time to grab a coffee and contemplate whether you really need a drone attached to your family wagon.

Despite adopting a unibody construction rather than a traditional body-on-frame architecture like the Bao 5 and Bao 8, the Bao 3 packs serious off-road hardware including intelligent torque adaptation control (iTAC) as well as adaptive damping suspension with predictive functionality.

It comes with independent suspension front and rear, like the BYD Shark 6, and also includes underbody protection elements to handle rough terrain. Also like the Shark 6 ute, it features various off-road modes including snow, mud, mountain, and sand.

The 4x4 system on dual-motor versions is controlled by the vehicle’s computer brain.

Based on the brand’s EVO electric monocoque platform, it won’t deliver hardcore off-road capability like its ladder-chassis-constructed Bao brethren, but is expected to give vehicles like the Subaru Forester and some Jeep models a run for their money.

If approved for Australia, the Bao 3 would join the larger Denza B5 and B8 (Leopard) models targeting Toyota’s Prado and LandCruiser 300 Series in the premium off-road space.

The question now is whether BYD’s sums add up for bringing this electric off-road family hauler to Australian driveways – and whether Aussie families are ready for a SUV that comes with its own flying sidekick.

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