We have gotten used to various copies of mostly popular models from Japanese, American and European brands from Chinese manufacturers. But they still surprise every car show with some secret weapon that will "perfectly eliminate" everyone. How else to explain the Ford EcoSport hybrid with the Renault Captur?
It begs the question why BYD decided to copy and pair these two SUVs when, above all, the blue oval doesn't exactly score points worldwide. However, it happened, and the Yuan plug-in hybrid concept (named after the Mongolian dynasty), whose serial production as a more ecological variant of the S1 model is almost 100%, received a distinctive spare wheel on the fifth door and group lights in the shape of the letter C. From the French model, the 4320 mm long , 1765 mm wide and 1620 mm high SUV with a wheelbase of 2520 mm lends two-tone painting, the rising line of the side windows or the shape of the rear-view mirrors.
The cabin is characterized by somewhat avant-garde shapes, where especially the silver bent plastic around the center console does more harm than good. The vents at the top of the center console are reminiscent of the Jeep Renegade , while the automatic transmission selector is reminiscent of BMW models. Much more interesting than the cabin is the drivetrain, consisting of a 15-litre petrol engine and one electric motor on each axle. Thanks to this, the Yuan is a four-wheeler with unspecified performance, but acceleration to 100 km/h in a great 4.9 seconds . The entire drive system works in plug-in hybrid or electric mode, with the SUV able to travel up to 70 km in the latter.
Source: BYD, chinaautoweb.com
