Truth be told, we thought BYD would take it a little bit easier this year. We couldn’t be more wrong in that aspect, as the Chinese automaker has been launching cars in the Philippines left, right, and center. Aren’t they going to run out of cars to launch at the rate they’re going now?
That aside, we stumbled upon a model that has a good chance of coming to the Philippines. That would be the BYD eMax 9 DM-i, known in its home market as the BYD Xia.
So far, there have been a couple of sightings of the luxury minivan. It’s all the more reason why we think it will be launched in the country soon. We got the chance to get up close to it during our recent trip to China, and it we explored the cabin along the way.
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In the metal, it’s not as large as we thought it would be. That said, the dimensions tell a completely different story as it measures in at over 5.1 meters long. Perhaps it’s the relatively tall windows, but it’s about the same size as, say, a Toyota Alphard.
As for design, it appears relatively conservative, although it’s got a big grille for added road presence. As mentioned, it has relatively large windows that brings in more light into the cabin, and the tailgate is on the flat side to maximize cargo capacity.
Inside, it seemed that we saw a mid-spec variant of the (not so) minivan. There’s no screens at the back, and the triple screen layout is absent. Still, we were greeted by soft and plush materials, plus the power captain’s chairs are a neat treat. The view out the dash is wide and expansive, while second-row space is commendable. Third-row space, on the other hand, was decent.
Of course, the conversation piece here is the addition of the fifth-generation DM-i powertrain. In this case, it’s a 1.5-liter turbocharged engine paired with either a single or dual motors, depending on drivetrain option (FWD or AWD) Two battery sizes are available, namely a 20.4kWh pack, or a 36.6kWh unit. Estimated battery range is rated at 100km to 180km, while total output is 268hp. Per BYD, total range is up to 1,080km under CLTC (China Light Duty Vehicle Test Cycle) testing methods.
Prices in China start at CNY249,800 for the base variant with the smallest battery. The top-of-the-line spec with the larger battery comes in at CNY309,800. At local conversion rates (sans taxes), that’s a spread of around P1,996,000 to P2,476,000.
