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BYD’s US$18,300 electric SUV has autopilot-like system, and a DJI drone in premium model


China’s BYD, the world’s largest electric vehicle maker, has launched its new Titanium 3 SUV at a starting price of 133,800 yuan (US$18,320), intensifying its push to dominate the market through aggressive pricing and new technologies.

The new model, with five variants, is the first in BYD’s new Titanium series under its premium Fang Cheng Bao brand, which literally means “formula leopard”. The Titanium series is meant to appeal to younger consumers with more sporty, stylish designs and technologies such as its new advanced driver assistance system (ADAS). It includes a customisable facade, and the most expensive model, priced at 193,800 yuan, includes a DJI Air 3 drone mounted on the roof.

As its namesake chemical element suggests, the Titanium 3 is being sold as a tough vehicle capable of handling a wide variety of terrains. It can detect snow and mud, and assist drivers in getting the vehicle unstuck from sand.

The embedded ADAS, dubbed “God’s Eye”, can also navigate highways and self-park. In February, BYD said the system would eventually be introduced to nearly all of its vehicles – including the Seagull hatchback, which starts at 69,800 yuan.

Visitors at the Titanium 3 launch event look check out the new SUV. Photo: Coco Feng
Visitors at the Titanium 3 launch event look check out the new SUV. Photo: Coco Feng
The launch comes as BYD capitalises on Tesla’s struggles in China, where the US EV maker has halted orders for its US-made Model S and Model X amid an escalating trade war between Beijing and Washington. Tesla sales in the country were once seen as a bellwether for the domestic EV market, with the company establishing a plant in Shanghai in 2019.



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