BYD says its new Song L coupe SUV offers up to 385kW of power and 662km of range, as well as a wide array of gadgets and safety features.

    The company has detailed its new electric coupe SUV as it begins pre-sales in the Chinese market.

    The Song L measures 4840mm long, 1950mm wide and 1560mm tall on a 2930mm wheelbase, making it 89mm longer, 29mm wider and 63mm lower than a Tesla Model Y on a 40mm longer wheelbase.

    It’s underpinned by the e-Platform 3.0 Architecture that also underpins the Dolphin, Seal and Atto 3, and uses BYD’s new DiSus-C Intelligent Damping Body Control System.

    There’s a choice of two of BYD’s Blade batteries, both with lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry: a 71.8kWh unit and a 87.04kWh one.

    Models with the smaller battery feature a single, rear-mounted electric motor with 150kW of power, with a claimed 0-100km/h time of 8.6 seconds and 550km of range under the more lenient CLTC cycle.

    The larger battery can be had with either a 230kW single-motor rear-wheel drive powertrain with 662km of range and a 6.9-second sprint to 100km/h, or a 380kW dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrain with 602km of range and a 4.3-second 0-100km/h claim.

    Inside, there’s a 15.6-inch rotating infotainment touchscreen and a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster.

    Available features include semi-automatic parking assist, an interior fragrance system and a 50-inch augmented reality head-up display.

    There’s a wide range of active safety and driver assist technology under the DiPilot banner, including adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, front and rear cross-traffic assist, and lane-keep assist, among others.

    Prices range from ¥220,000 to ¥280,000 (A$47,941 to $61,016). For reference, the Model Y is priced from ¥263,900 to ¥363,900 (A$61,016 to $79,300) in China.

    The Song L has yet to be confirmed for Australia, but BYD plans to continue expanding its local line-up.

    It’ll add an as-yet unspecified SUV next year – expected to be the Seal U – as well as a ute.

    It plans to introduce two new models yearly for the foreseeable future, although a seven-seater SUV is still some time away.

    “We are just beginning, three models in 18 months, five models in just under two and half years and then more and more after that,” said Luke Todd, head of BYD’s local distributor of EVDirect, in September.

    According to Mr Todd, BYD can re-engineer, re-tool its production line and convert one of its vehicles from left to right-hand drive in just 12 months.

    William Stopford

    William Stopford is an automotive journalist based in Brisbane, Australia. William is a Business/Journalism graduate from the Queensland University of Technology who loves to travel, briefly lived in the US, and has a particular interest in the American car industry.

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