On October 12th, BYD's Fang Cheng Bao (FCB) Bao 8 officially opened online intention reservations, with a price range of CNY 400,000 - 500,000 (US$ 56,600 - 70,800).

Customers who pay the CNY 3,000 intention reservation fee and choose to convert the fee into a deposit can enjoy priority delivery and select interior/exterior colours and six- or seven-seat layouts. The official launch is expected in November.

So far, the first batch of exhibition vehicles has arrived in 34 Chinese cities and will soon arrive in another 27 cities across China.

For the design, BYD claimed that the inspiration came from the future universe, adopting the ''Future Starship Aesthetics,'' giving off a hardcore vibe with a floating roof visual effect, a spare tyre at the rear, and 20-inch rims (275/55 R20 tyres). Consumers can choose from three exterior colours: Star Moon Silver, Dawn Gold, and Night Shadow Black, and two interior colours: Wild Wheat Yellow and Dark Night Black.

The length, width, and height of the FCB Bao 8 are 5,195 mm, 1,994 mm, and 1,875 mm (including the spare tyre), respectively, and the wheelbase is 2,920 mm. When the roof rack is included, the height of the car is 1,905 mm. The maximum towing capacity is 2.5 tons (2,268 kg), and the maximum wading depth is 900 mm.

The FCB Bao 8 is built on BYD's 2.0T Dual Mode Off-road (DMO) Super Hybrid Platform and is equipped with the DiSus-P Intelligent Hydraulic Body Control System.

Power comes from a 200 kW (268 PS) 2.0T engine and two electric motors (front: 200 kW, rear: 300 kW (402 PS)), outputting a combined system power of 550 kW (738 PS) and peak torque of 760 Nm. The 0 to 100 km/h acceleration time is 4.8 seconds. Fifteen driving modes are provided, including comfort, economy, sports, smart, snow, sand, mud, mountain, rock, wading, racing, creeping, anti-skid chain, Bao-style U-turn, and driving with a trailer. Centre, front, and rear axle differential locks are also present.

The FCB Bao 8's 36.864 kWh LFP Blade battery pack offers a pure electric range of 125 km and a comprehensive range of 1,200 km (assuming CLTC conditions). Under 120 kW DC fast charging, replenishing the battery from 30% to 80% takes 16 minutes. At the same time, the FCB Bao 8 also supports a 6 kW external discharge function.

In addition, the FCB Bao 8 is the first BYD vehicle to be equipped with the Huawei Qiankun ADS 3.0, which supports high-speed and urban navigation on autopilot and parking assistance. Other safety features include a 300-metre far-infrared night vision system and 14 airbags throughout the vehicle. The infrared night vision system can be activated automatically when visibility is low.

Inside, the interior is wrapped in leather material and features BYD' DiLink150 intelligent cockpit powered by a BYD 9000 chip to enable voice control. Most notably, there is a 17.3-inch central control screen, a 12.3-inch co-pilot multimedia screen, a 12.3-inch full LCD instrument panel, dual control screens in the middle, a 50-inch AR-HUD, and a large number of physical buttons, enhancing the hardcore feel. Additionally, NFC car keys for Android, Harmony, and iOS mobile phones are available. The sound system comes from Devialet, and an in-vehicle refrigerator for heating and cooling is present.

Both six- and seven-seater layouts are offered, with the longitudinal space of the first, second, and third rows exceeding 1,000 mm. The second-row leg space is 870 mm, and the third row is 800 mm. All seats support electric adjustment. Moreover, the maximum expansion volume of the trunk can reach 1,130 L.