Manufacturer BYD Auto Class Plug-in hybrid sedan Related | Production 2013–present Body style Sedan | |
 | ||
Engine 1.5 L turbo-charged direct-injected | ||
The BYD Qin (pronounced “Chin”) is a plug-in hybrid compact sedan developed by BYD Auto with an all-electric range of 70 km (43 mi) and a hybrid electric powertrain that can extend the car's total range to a distance similar to that of a conventional gasoline-powered vehicle. The BYD Qin concept car was unveiled at the 2012 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, and the car is named after China's first empire, the Qin Dynasty. An all-electric variant with a range of 300 km (190 mi), the BYD Qin EV300, was released in China in March 2016.
Contents
The Qin starts at 189,800 rmb (~US$31,000), before any applicable government subsidies and tax exemptions available for eco-friendly vehicles. The EV300 starts at 259,800 rmb (~US$40,200) before incentives.
The Qin is the successor of the BYD F3DM, the world's first mass-produced plug-in hybrid automobile, launched in China in 2008. In April 2012, BYD announced that due to its low sales, the F3DM was to be replaced by the Qin. The BYD Qin is the plug-in hybrid version of the BYD Su Rui, launched in the Chinese market in August 2012. Deliveries in China began in mid December 2013. Retail sales of the BYD Qin began in Costa Rica in November 2013, and BYD planned to start sales in other countries in Central and South America in 2014.
Sales of the plug-in hybrid model in China passed the 50,000 unit milestone in April 2016. Since 2014 the Qin is the all-time top-selling highway legal plug-in passenger car in China with cumulative sales of 68,655 units through December 2016. The BYD Qin was for two years in a row, 2014 and 2015, the top selling plug-in electric car in China, and ranked as the second top selling plug-in hybrid model in 2016. The Qin was the world's second best selling plug-in hybrid car in 2015 after the Mitsubishi Outlander P-HEV, and also ranked fifth in 2015 among the world's top selling plug-in electric cars. As of June 2016, the Qin plug-in hybrid listed sixth among the world's top 10 best-selling plug-in electric cars ever. The all-electric variant, the Qin EV300, totaled 10,656 units sold between March and December 2016.
BYD Qin
The Qin was designed with BYD Auto's next-generation more efficient dual-mode electric powertrain. The BYD Qin uses a smaller 13 kWh lithium iron phosphate batteries (LiFePO4) instead of the 16 kWh battery used on the F3DM. The LiFePo4 battery has a high energy density and can withstand up to 4,000 charges while still retaining 80% performance, and uses no toxic heavy metals in its manufacture. Due to its improved design, the new battery is about 50% smaller and lighter than the one used on the F3DM. The reduced battery pack size will translate into reduced price, but at the expense of the all-electric range, which BYD estimates at 50 kilometres (31 mi) while the F3DM delivers an all-electric range of 97 kilometres (60 mi). BYD says the Qin will have a 7% better efficiency, power and energy-saving and in pure EV mode.
In hybrid mode, the Qin uses two 110 kW electric motors and a 1.5 liter turbo-charged direct-injected engine, instead of the 1-liter 3-cylinder engine used in the F3DM, to output 223 kW of power and 440 Nm of torque. According to BYD Auto, the Qin has a top speed of 185 km/h (115 mph) and can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in less than 5.9 seconds, 3.3 seconds faster than the Chevrolet Volt. Thanks to its smaller battery and increased wheelbase, the Qin will have more interior space than the F3DM, and the styling has also been improved over BYD’s earlier models, most notably in the car’s interior. The Qin features two large TFT LCD displays on the dashboard, equipped with the BYD “i” intelligent cloud system platform incorporating features like telematics, cloud-computing and a full range of services 24 hours a day.
BYD Qin EV300
A pure battery electric version, the Qin EV300, was released in China in March 2016. The BYD Qin EV is powered by a 218hp electric motor, and its battery pack is expected to deliver a range of 300 km (190 mi). Top speed is 150 kilometres per hour (93 mph). There are four versions of the Qin EV300, with pricing ranging between 259,800 to 309,800 rmb (~US$40,200 to US$47,900), before any applicable government subsidies and tax exemptions. Sales during its first month in the Chinese market totaled 229 units.
Production and sales
The BYD Qin was the top selling plug-in electric car in China in 2014, and ranked seventh in 2014 among the world's top 10 best selling plug-in cars.
In May 2015, Qin sales passed the 25,000 units milestone, becoming the seventh plug-in to achieve that mark globally. The BYD Qin was the world's second best selling plug-in hybrid car in 2015 after the Mitsubishi Outlander P-HEV, and also ranked fifth in 2015 among the world's top selling plug-in electric cars. Sales of the Qin plug-in hybrid model in China passed the 50,000 unit milestone in April 2016, the sixth plug-in electric car to achieve that mark. As of June 2016, the Qin plug-in hybrid was listed sixth among the world's all-time top 10 best-selling plug-in electric cars.
China
After missing the original market launch of August 2013, retail deliveries were rescheduled to begin in Shenzhen in November 2013, and then push back until December 2013. The carmaker was awaiting the roll out of local government subsidies for new energy vehicles. Deliveries began in December 2013 at a price starting at 189,800 rmb (US$31,000), before a 35,000 rmb (US$5,600) central government subsidy available for eco-friendly vehicles, in addition to existing local incentives. The high end trim is priced at 209,800 rmb (US$34,400) before incentives.
A total of 142 units were sold in China in December 2013. Sales totaled 14,747 units in 2014, making the Qin the top selling plug-in electric car in China in 2014, and becoming the all-time top selling plug-in passenger car in the country. In 2015, with 31,898 units sold, the Qin was the top selling plug-in passenger car in China for the second year running, and remained as the all-time top selling passenger new energy vehicle in China. A total of 21,868 Qins were sold in 2016, making the car the second best-selling plug-in car in the country in 2016 after the BYD Tang. In addition, 10,656 units of the all-electric variant EV300 were sold between March and December 2016. As of December 2016, cumulative Qin plug-in hybrid sales in China totaled 68,655 units since its inception.
Latin America
Retail sales of the BYD Qin began in Costa Rica in November 2013 at a price starting at US$35,000. BYD planned to begin sales in other Latin American countries in 2014.