EVwire brief: BYD is adding an MPV to its Ocean lineup before year-end, giving the volume-focused brand its first people carrier. No name, specs, or pricing yet, and it remains unclear whether the production version draws from the Ocean-V concept BYD showed off at Beijing's auto show in April.
Zhang Zhuo, who runs BYD's Ocean sales division, shared the timeline during a Weibo interview on Sunday, calling the vehicle a "one-of-a-kind offering."
The Ocean-V concept turned heads. The cabin ditched physical buttons entirely, and the center screen travels side to side across the dash. In Cinema Mode, the steering wheel tucks away and a secondary screen pops up. Flip to Camping Mode, and the seats lay flat into a sleeping platform. BYD also showed off its "Glowing Jellyfish," a clip-on light-and-speaker module that works inside the cabin or on the exterior.
BYD hinted at the debut that some of these interior ideas would reach production, though it has not confirmed which ones.
BYD describes the Ocean V as a “family mobile life cube” that breaks boundaries and refuses to fall into the usual categories of sedan, SUV, or MPV
Context:
BYD already sells MPVs through three other channels, with mixed results. The Denza D9 is the company’s current volume winner. The second-generation model launched on April 28 at 359,800 yuan (US$53,000) and has been the strongest performer, with 7,678 deliveries in July, 39,402 for the year through July.
The Xia, a plug-in hybrid MPV in the Dynasty lineup with battery ranges of 100 km (62 mi) and 218 km (135 mi), has gone the other direction. Only 1,300 left dealer lots in July, a 76.7% collapse from a year ago. The seven-month total sits at 10,922, off 79.5%. Meanwhile, the Linghui M9 arrived in June carrying BYD's latest fifth-gen DM hybrid drivetrain. It is aimed at fleet operators and families, with a combined range of 1,105 km (687 mi).
Adding an MPV under the Ocean badge would give BYD a people carrier in all four of its brand families: Dynasty, Ocean, Denza, and Linghui. Since Ocean is BYD’s volume-focused arm, the vehicle could very well undercut the D9 on price while offering compelling features that make it bang for the buck.
Source: CNEV Post
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