2016 BYD Tang: Plug-In Hybrid SUV Is First Of Four To Come

It's been more than six years since fabled investor Warren Buffet bought 10 percent of BYD Autos, one of the few independent Chinese automakers.
At that time, the company had big plans to become China's largest producer of plug-in electric vehicles--and then export them to the U.S.

While the Chinese market for plug-ins has developed more slowly than expected, BYD has persevered with a new range of plug-in hybrids.
It has been selling its compact Qin plug-in hybrid sedan for a year, and is now taking orders for its second model, the Tang plug-in hybrid compact SUV.
The BYD Tang retails for about 300,000 yuan (roughly $48,000 at today's exchange rate).

BYD Qin plug-in hybrid sedan, unveiled at Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, April 2012

And, according to a report by Bloomberg, more plug-in hybrid SUV models are on the way--including two this year alone, to be named after China's revered Song and Yuan dynasties.
A further SUV, the Ming, will follow at a later date, according to a presentation given by the company last week.
BYD was the first company in the world to launch a production plug-in hybrid; its F3DM in 2008 was two years ahead of the 2011 Chevrolet Volt.