We mainly know Chinese BYD in Europe from electrically powered buses, but the brand is ready for its first step on the European passenger car market with its Tang SUV.
BYD has been a huge player in the car market for years in its home country of China, but the expansion to the European market is yet to come. The wait will be rewarded this year when the delivery of the fully electric Tang EV600 begins in Norway. The choice for Norway is not crazy; EV is more embraced in that country than anywhere else on the European continent. The Tang statistics are very promising; The compact mid-range SUV has been one of the most successful EVs on the market in China for many years and even managed to take the lead for a few years (as the first generation).
The Tang, facelifted last year, will initially only be available as a 600D for the European market, which is the version with two electric motors and four-wheel drive. The Tang in that version good for a power of 490 hp, has a battery pack of 82.8 kWh on board and can drive 520 km (323 miles) on a full battery according to the NEDC rating. Fast charging from 30 to 80 percent should be done in half an hour. As we are used to from many EVs, the Tang is also fast: it accelerates from zero to 100 km/h (62 mph) in less than 4.4 seconds. It is not yet known what the European price will be. We will undoubtedly know more when they introduce it in Norway later this year.
