The Bao 8 has a price range of RMB 400,000 ($56,600) to RMB 500,000 in pre-sales, with launch and first delivery to be completed by November at the latest.

Fang Cheng Bao, a sub-brand of BYD (HKG: 1211, OTCMKTS: BYDDY), has begun pre-sales of its Bao 8 off-road SUV (sport utility vehicle) in China, as the launch approaches.

The Bao 8 has a price range of RMB 400,000 ($56,600) to RMB 500,000 in pre-sales, and the SUV will be available in both six-seat and seven-seat options, Fang Cheng Bao announced on its social media accounts today.

People interested in the SUV can pay a refundable deposit of RMB 3,000 to reserve the model, which entitles them to benefits including priority production.

Show cars of the model are already available at Fang Cheng Bao stores, with availability and first delivery to be completed by November at the latest.

The Bao 8 is based on Fang Cheng Bao's DMO platform, where O stands for off-road and DM for dual mode.

The model is powered by a 2.0 T engine with close to 750 horsepower and 550 kW of combined power, and can accelerate from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in 4.8 seconds, Fang Cheng Bao said today.

It has a combined range of up to over 1,200 kilometers, according to the brand.

The Bao 8 features DiSus-P body control system, the most advanced of the three branches of BYD's DiSus system, with up to 200 mm of suspension adjustment travel.

The DiSus system was released in April 2023 and the other two branches are DiSus-C and DiSus-A.

Another selling point of the Bao 8 is that it will be the first BYD model to feature Huawei's Qiankun ADS 3.0 intelligent driving system.

Fang Cheng Bao signed a cooperation agreement with Huawei on August 27 in Shenzhen in order to jointly create a smart driving solution exclusive to hardcore SUVs.

Qiankun ADS 3.0 uses a safety-first, end-to-end network architecture to deliver a more human-like, safer and more efficient driving experience, Fang Cheng Bao said previously.

With this solution, the Bao 8 will be able to drive intelligently from parking space to parking space, Fang Cheng Bao said today.

BYD launched the Fang Cheng Bao brand on August 16, 2023, and the brand's first model, the Bao 5 off-road SUV, was launched on November 9, 2023, with deliveries beginning at the end of the same month.

As of now, Fang Cheng Bao only has the Bao 5 on sale, and the model has sold 30,423 vehicles so far this year, according to data compiled by CnEVPost.

($1 = RMB 7.0668)

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