BYD To Display their e6 and F3DM Models At Detroit Auto Show

The BYD e6 Crossover









The Chinese are beating the US to the marketplace with their all electric e6 and the plug-in hybrid F3DM. The F3DM is a hybrid that travels 62 miles before the generator kicks in, much like the Chevy Volt. Better yet, the car is to appear in US showrooms this coming May. If the price is close to the Chinese price of $21K, it will be a hit.

From Edmunds.com:

Three months after announcing its plan to sell an all-electric plug-in crossover - the e6, pictured - in the U.S. next year, China's BYD Auto announced today that it will display that vehicle and the company's F3DM dual-mode plug-in hybrid sedan at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next month.

Both vehicles are slated to go on sale in the U.S. in May 2010.

This won't be the first time the F3DM has appeared at the NAIAS, also known as the Detroit Auto Show. The world's first mass-produced plug-in hybrid electric vehicle attended the 2009 NAIAS held last January, looking awfully smart between leggy models on a well-lit stage while elsewhere in the convention hall GM representatives could only talk about the PHEV they were working on, the Chevrolet Volt, which was still nearly two years away from entering production.

The F3DM can travel 62 miles using only batteries. After that, a 1.0-liter all-aluminum gasoline engine comes on to generate electricity for the vehicle's battery pack. That makes it an extended-range electric vehicle, just like the upcoming Volt, which GM officials say can travel up to 40 miles in all-electric mode before its gas-fueled generator kicks in.

The midsize F3DM sells for about $21,700 in China, where it went on sale in December 2008. The U.S. price hasn't been announced. The Volt is scheduled to go on sale in the U.S. in December 2010 and cost about $40,000.

According to BYD's Website, the e6: can receive a quick charge (presumably from a 220/240-volt outlet) to 50 percent capacity in just 10 minutes; is capable of accelerating from zero to 60 miles an hour in 8 seconds; has a top speed of 100 mph; and can travel 249 miles on a single charge.

The Website also says that four power offerings are planned for the e6: 75 kilowatts (101 horsepower), 75+40 kilowatts (101+54 horsepower), 160 kilowatts (215 horsepower) and 160+40 kilowatts (215+54 horsepower). The "+" signs indicate the presence of two electric motors.

The five-seat e6 is expected to sell for about $40,000 in the U.S.