CarBrandLogos archive · BYD · 2015

BYDTang

A plug-in hybrid SUV sold on acceleration, back when green cars were sold on guilt.

Photo: BYD Tang DM-p front quarter.jpg: Taylormilan3216 derivative work: Mariordo (Mari · CC BY-SA 4.0

The story

A defining chapter in BYD history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the BYD Tang, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Origins

The Tang, launched in 2015 as BYD's mid-size crossover flagship, replaced the S6 and S7 and marked the point where the company stopped apologising for electrification. Its pitch was a set of numbers BYD called 542, referring to a claimed sprint to 100 km/h in the five-second range, four-wheel drive, and very low official fuel consumption — an argument aimed at buyers who wanted a fast SUV and were happy to take the tax break with it.

BYD Tang 01 China · Navigator84 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Design and engineering

The engineering behind that was a dual-mode plug-in hybrid with electric motors on both axles, giving electric four-wheel drive without a propshaft. Later generations were restyled under Wolfgang Egger's design team into something considerably more coherent, gained a third row of seats, and were joined by a fully electric Tang EV.

BYD Tang 02 China · Navigator84 · CC BY-SA 4.0

In production

The Tang became BYD's first serious export product for passenger markets, sold in Norway from 2021 as the company's opening move in Europe, and later across Latin America and Australia. It was not the car that made BYD's reputation at home, but it was the one that introduced the brand to buyers who had never heard of it.

BYD Tang DM 004 · Jengtingchen · CC BY-SA 4.0

At a glance