BYD’s surprise new electric hot-hatch unveiled at Beijing Auto Show

Over the last two years, BYD has become a well-known EV brand when it comes to bringing affordable ground-up electric vehicles to Australia. Starting with the popular Atto 3 SUV, it then launched the Dolphin, an affordable electric hatchback, before unveiling the sports sedan Seal.

The world’s fastest-growing car company has now unveiled a new electric car in a segment that has been underserved to date, the Ocean-M electric hot hatch.

It has been showcased to the world this week at the Beijing Auto Show, and according to cnevpost  the Ocean-M will be launched in China with a price tag equivalent to $A32,000 to $A42,000.

Unlike the locally available Dolphin hatchback, the new Ocean-M will be a rear-wheel-drive performance hatchback, according to BYD.

For comparison, Cupra is the only brand with a rear-wheel-drive warm hatch in the market, while the MG4 X-Power is available in an all-wheel-drive powertrain.

BYD also stated that the new hatchback will be built on a new all-electric platform. This would feature cell-to-body battery technology, similar to that seen in the BYD Seal.

As for the design, the rear shows signs of the Dolphin at the tail lights but that’s where the similarities end. There is a large roof spoiler that has been split in two as seen on the rear, giving the car an aggressive look.

From a side angle, side skirts in the form of a body kit can be seen, giving the whole vehicle a racey stance.

The rear-view mirrors have been replaced by cameras which would help with the aerodynamics of the vehicle. This  digital mirror technology has been used in Audi, Hyundai, Genesis, Kia and other EVs.

The door handles also appear flush which is found on locally available Seal sports sedan.

 The headlights provide a similar design to that found on the refreshed Model 3, but with a BYD touch to it.

According to BYD, production of the all-new hot hatch will begin in the third quarter of this year with customer deliveries soon to follow. Detailed pricing and specs are likely to be released in the coming months.