BYD gave the Xia its debut a month ago, saying at the time that the MPV would be priced in the RMB 300,000 yuan ($42,780) range.

BYD (HKG: 1211, OTCMKTS: BYDDY) has begun taking pre-orders for its Xia MPV (multi-purpose vehicle), after giving the model its debut a month ago.

The new energy vehicle (NEV) maker's head of sales for the Dynasty lineup, Lu Tian, announced on Weibo today that the Xia has begun accepting reservations from customers, but did not release any pricing information.

The BYD brand's product array includes the Dynasty and Ocean series, with no MPV models available at the moment. The Denza sub-brand of the BYD Group has an MPV called the Denza D9.

The Xia is a new model sequence for the BYD brand, with the Xia MPV being the first model in the family.

The Xia is the first recorded dynasty of Chinese civilization. BYD's Dynasty series previously included the Han, Tang, Qin, Song and Yuan families, all of which were named after dynasties in Chinese history.

BYD gave the Xia its debut on the first day of the Chengdu auto show on August 30, saying at the time that the MPV would be priced in the RMB 300,000 yuan ($42,780) class and would go on sale within the year.

The Denza D9 currently has a starting price range of RMB 339,800 to RMB 606,600 in China.

Earlier this month, some local media outlets cited dealer information saying that the Xia MPV had reference price of RMB 289,800 to RMB 350,000 in bookings.

The Xia MPV will be powered by BYD's fifth-generation DM hybrid technology, which was announced on May 28 and brings lower fuel consumption.

The vehicle measures 5,145 mm in length, 1,970 mm in width and 1,805 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 3,045 mm, according to BYD's announcement last month.

The Xia MPV has big dimensions but delivers ultra-low energy consumption and class-defying acceleration, Lu said on Weibo today.

The model is born from BYD's DM 5.0 platform and features a body architecture exclusive to plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) models and the DiSus-C body control system, according to Lu.

DiSus was released by BYD on April 10, 2023, and is divided into three branches, including DiSus-C, an intelligent vibration-damping body control system; DiSus-A, an intelligent air body control system; and DiSus-P, an intelligent hydraulic body control system.

The Xia MPV features the DiPilot intelligent driver assistance system, as well as the DiLink 150 cockpit system, according to Lu.

($1 = RMB 7.0131)

BYD unveils Xia MPV, official launch to be within this year