Launch of the first Chinese hybrid car in the world from BYD
The first mass-produced plug-in hybrid car in the world, manufactured by Chinese auto maker BYD, went on sale in the southern city of Shenzhen. It was announced its manufacturer who aims to become a leader for these models using both electricity and gasoline. The car is produced by BYD Auto, a Chinese company based in Shenzhen (south) and specialized in electronic components and batteries, including the American billionaire Warren Buffett have acquired 9.9%.
According to BYD, F3DM the electric vehicle, which has a gasoline engine is up and sold 150,000 yuan (over 16,000 euros), is the first in the world that can be reloaded by the driver home from electrical outlets normal but also in special stations.
The F3DM can run 100 km with a battery charge and must be sold in a dozen Chinese cities with an annual production of 200,000 units. It could be exported by 2010, including the United States. "With the electric vehicle fuel F3DM, BYD will be an advantage in the auto market of renewable energy," said the chairman of the manufacturer, Wang Chuanfu, quoted by the Chinese media.
The Prius hybrid model of the Japanese manufacturer Toyota is already on sale in China, but F3DM is the first model produced by a Chinese company. Other Chinese manufacturers are already working on hybrid models, but they have never been on the market, "said Duan Chengwu, analyst for Global Insight.
According to the latter, BYD (for "Build your dreams", or "Build your dreams") is not the first, before Toyota and General Motors to offer a car that can be recharged at home. However, Mr. Duan, the model F3DM will be hard to break into the Chinese market because of its cost.
"At first, I do not think Chinese consumers will buy a lot, but BYD wants to use to test the waters," he tried. "However, this kind of car is still a big potential in the Chinese market and globally, because we need to solve environmental problems and the oil crisis," he added.
These models, the analyst points out, can also enable Chinese manufacturers, lagging behind their foreign competitors in the field of conventional cars, to fill. "The Chinese producers have the opportunity to jump over traditional technologies and to obtain a leading position in the cars using new energy," he says.
Zhang Xin, an auto analyst with Shanghai-based Guotai Junan Securities, said BYD had chosen the right way to gain a leading position in the global market, but it would take some time before consumers accepted the new car.
BYD is a private company based in Shenzhen. It started out as a battery maker and now is the world's No. 1 supplier of Nickel-battery; cellphone used Li-battery and keypad. In 2003, the company bought Tsinchuan Automobile Company Limited to begin its auto business.
Ref.: http://www.byd.com/
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