Chinese car giant BYD has officially launched its largest electric vehicle to date, securing more than 30,000 pre-orders in the first 24 hours for a vehicle that is being offered for the equivalent of just over $A51,000.
The new electric SUV, which is called the Datang, is regarded as the company’s potential flagship model in its Dynasty series and will feature its latest Flash Charging tech.
It had been spotted testing on several occasions and was officially launched at the Beijing Auto Show, and BYD quickly boasted of the 30,000 sales milestone on its Weibo page”
“Orders exceeded 30,000 units in 24 hours. Unyielding, uncompromising, and possessing a flagship strength that lives up to expectations.”
This is quite an achievement and is driven by both price and the tech it packs, including the new Blade Battery, which will help the massive 3-row electric SUV deliver up to 950 km of CLTC range.
This should easily be over 700 km on the WLTP cycle, making it one of the best long-range 3-row family SUVs on the market.
Specs on Datang spotted in the regulator approval listing reveal that a single motor version will come with either a 300 kW or a 370 kW rear-wheel drive configuration, while the dual motor version will have a combined power output of 585 kW.
That sort of power will be needed to move the whopping 5.26-metre-long family SUV with a gross weight of 3,245 kg.
On the battery pack front, it is offered in two BYD Blade battery 2.0 configurations, including 105.8 kWh as well as a larger 130.1 kWh pack, helping it achieve that big range.
This battery will also support Flash Charging tech that can charge this SUV from 10-70% in just 5 minutes. 10-97% can also be done in just 9 minutes, which is quicker than stopping at a servo to fill up a large ICE SUV.
On the styling front, the car packs quite a luxury look and appears to have a Lidar at the front for BYD’s Gods Eye autonomous driving tech.
BYD has been expanding its EV lineup to cover everything from a micro Kei car in Japan to large ultra-luxury 7-seater SUVs.
This new Datang SUV, likely aimed at large families who want faster charging on the go, is expected to begin deliveries in China by June this year.
We will monitor this model and any others that follow, using BYD’s latest architecture and blade battery technology, as it’s likely to make its way to Australia in the years to come.
With the order take-up so far, it could be one of the company’s best large SUVs to hit the market in recent years.
See The Driven’s detailed EV sales data here: Australian electric vehicle sales by month in 2026; by model and by brand.
Sign up for The Driven’s free daily newsletter by going to the button on the bottom right of the website’s home page at www.thedriven.io
