The Bao 5 SUV is available in three variants with a starting price of RMB 289,800 and can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.8 seconds.

BYD unveiled the Fang Cheng Bao brand and a technology platform called DMO on August 16, giving the Bao 5 its official debut. DMO is an exclusive platform for Fang Cheng Bao, where O stands for off-road and DM for dual mode.

BYD's hybrid technology platform previously included the DM-i and DM-p, with the former focusing on fuel economy and the latter more on performance. The company's pure electric vehicle platform is called e-Platform 3.0.

The Bao 5 measures 4,890 mm in length, 1,970 mm in width and 1,920 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2,800 mm.

Its three versions are powered by the same powertrain, with the engine producing 143 kW of maximum power and 273 Nm of maximum torque.

The model has dual electric motors, with the front motor producing 200 kW of peak power and 360 Nm of peak torque, and the rear motor producing 285 kW of peak power and 400 Nm of peak torque.

The powertrain has a total power of 505 kW and a total torque of 760 Nm, allowing the vehicle to sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.8 seconds.

The Bao 5 has a fuel tank with a volume of 83 L and a battery pack with a capacity of 31.8 kWh. It has a CLTC battery range of 125 km and a combined range of 1,200 km.

Unlike BYD's dealership model, Fang Cheng Bao's first batch of stores will be directly-managed, which is the sales model currently used by most of China's new car-making forces.

Fang Cheng Bao's first 70 directly-managed stores are already open for business, and another 80 will open within the year, according to the brand.

The Bao 5 is expected to gradually start contributing to BYD's sales as the company continues to consolidate its position as China's largest new energy vehicle (NEV) maker.

BYD sold a record 301,833 NEVs in October, surpassing the 300,000-unit mark for the first time and marking the sixth consecutive month of record sales.

In the January-October period, BYD sold 2,381,471 NEVs, an increase of 70.36 percent year-on-year.

The company aims to sell at least 3 million NEVs by 2023, which means it will have to sell at least about 310,000 vehicles in each of the next two months to reach its goal.

BYD began promotions for several models this month as part of its efforts to meet that goal.

($1 = RMB 7.2855)

BYD's Fang Cheng Bao brand starts trial operations of 1st 70 directly-managed stores