As of today, the competition in the field of 100,000-level new energy vehicle consumption is becoming increasingly fierce. Since BYD started a price war at the beginning of the year, major car companies have followed suit, one after another launching models with a starting price of less than 100,000 yuan (13900$), attracting the attention of the public. The overwhelming promotional information has not only become the main theme of the car circle, but also continuously stimulates the desire of consumers to buy. In my opinion, BYD’s “electric cheaper than oil” strategy is not only a feedback to the vast consumers and promotes sales growth, but also prepares for the launch of a new car.
The pioneer is born from the BYD e-platform 3.0 A0-class pure electric SUV – the Yuan UP. Although BYD currently has the Yuan Pro in the A0-class SUV market, the launch of the Yuan UP can not only consolidate the brand’s influence in the A0-class SUV market, but also bring a multi-dimensional advanced driving experience for users with the latest core technology. Its strategic significance is very important. The cute and energetic appearance created by Longyan aesthetics Nowadays, the automotive consumer market is no longer dominated by sellers, but it requires the driving force of consumers. Success depends on precise market insight and thoughtful satisfaction of user needs. Therefore, the Yuan UP caters to the aesthetic needs of young consumers, with Longyan aesthetics as the tone, combined with diverse colors and a wrap-around cockpit, creating a unique driving space for users.
The new UP is led by Wolfgang Egger, the global design director of BYD, and combines the Chinese traditional culture with interesting elements. The “perfect circle” dragon crystal LED headlights are not only dynamic in shape and powerful, but also leading in the industry in terms of light intensity, irradiation distance, width, and service life.
The car’s body design is slightly square and tough, but the rounded corners make the whole car look fuller and more dynamic. With the suspended bright color roof and semi-hidden door handles, the whole car is more agile and fashionable. Its length, width, and height are 4310×1830×1675mm, with a wheelbase of 2620mm, which gives the Element UP a certain advantage in size compared to its competitors in the same price range and level. In addition, the new car is equipped with dynamic and dazzling wind hub, matched with 215/60 R17 tires, effectively reducing the wind resistance of the whole car, increasing endurance, and highlighting its pure electric attributes.
When it comes to the rear styling, the most eye-catching feature is the “lucky ring” LED taillights. The taillights form a continuous light strip across the entire rear of the car, with a “8” shape on each side, symbolizing the completeness and perfection of life. This is also a common design element in BYD’s models.
In order to make the whole car look more trendy and meet the aesthetic preferences of young consumers, the car colors of the Yuan UP have been expanded to include a special bold pink edition, with both the exterior and interior featuring a high-end dark pink color, symbolizing fearless youth full of hope. The cool dual-color interior design combines elegant beige with cool black, creating a simple and stylish exclusive space full of vitality. The unique and convenient interior is highly personalized.
In addition to its appearance and color scheme, the Yuan UP also spares no effort in its interior design. With the center console as the axis, it forms a symmetrical design that is exquisite and simple. The two unique shapes overlap vertically, forming the main instrument panel of the Yuan UP. The upper surface has a sharp turn, and the lower main line extends to the door panel, embracing the entire cabin, all demonstrating Yuan UP’s pursuit of quality.
It is worth mentioning that the design of the Yuan UP is particularly thoughtful in the details. The four doors and the middle position of the front row have been added with circular handles, resembling the energy-gathering ring of a rechargeable battery. The six circular handles between the front and rear cabins are intertwined, stacked, looped, and connected, their shape is inspired by the Chinese knot but different from it, showcasing the unique new national trend concept of the BYD Wangchao series. Combined with the star-shaped gear lever crafted like a diamond cut, further enhancing the luxurious atmosphere inside the car.
In terms of cabin comfort, the Yuan UP seats feature a one-piece comfortable design, with luxurious leather upholstery for both support and a sofa-like sitting experience. The front seats not only support multi-angle adjustment, but also have electric six-way and four-way adjustment for the driver and passenger seats respectively. The total travel range for the driver and passenger seats is 260mm, comparable to the front and rear travel range of a luxury B-class car, with a backrest adjustment angle of 75° and equipped with heating function.
In addition, the rich intelligent technology configuration is also an important condition for attracting young people to buy cars. The Yuan UP is equipped with DiLink intelligent networking system, which takes user needs as the core starting point and has a powerful hardware architecture platform, a new HMI interface design, a massive APP ecosystem, and a full range of standard vehicle OTA remote upgrades.
Not only that, the Yuan UP is equipped with a full-scene digital key, mobile phone wireless charging, VTOL mobile power station, and more. The VTOL mobile power station function turns the vehicle into a large mobile power bank, supporting a maximum power of up to 3.3kW, meeting the needs of most high-power appliances, allowing for a new outdoor driving experience. A travel companion with both safety and driving fun Young users’ demands for purchasing an A0-level car are not just about energy saving and commuting. They have more pursuits for their first car in life, including the previously mentioned appearance and intelligence, as well as safety and performance. Adults don’t compromise, they want it all!
Based on the e-platform 3.0, the Yuan UP adopts the CTB battery body integration technology, increasing the body torsional stiffness by 32% for better handling stability and more driving fun in urban commuting. The blade battery it carries can withstand rigorous needle puncture tests, with over 3000 cycles of charge and discharge, supporting a driving range of over 1.2 million kilometers, dispelling users’ concerns about battery endurance decay.
Next, 80.2% of the steel used in the frame of the passenger compartment is high-strength steel or higher, with 50% being ultra-high-strength steel. Key components such as the front cabin longitudinal beam, floor rear longitudinal beam, middle aisle, floor panel, seat cross beam, lower floor longitudinal beam, middle floor longitudinal beam, door threshold inner panel, door threshold reinforcement plate, A-pillar, B-pillar, and door anti-collision beam all use high-strength steel plates with a tensile strength of over 1180Mpa to ensure the space of the passenger compartment after a collision, along with front dual safety airbags, front seat side safety airbags, and front and rear through-type side safety curtains to enhance passive safety.
In terms of active safety, the Yuan UP has L2 level assisted driving functions, including adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, intelligent speed control, active braking, rear collision warning, lane departure warning, lane centering, intelligent high beam, and blind spot safety assistance. A variety of intelligent driving assistance systems ensure comprehensive driving safety. With the new generation intelligent power brake control system, 3D holographic transparent image system, 8-inch W-HUD head-up display system and other functions, driving safety and technology are improved.
The new car also features a high-efficiency eight-in-one electric powertrain, integrating the motor, electronic control, transmission, DC-DC converter, on-board charging, distribution box, vehicle controller, and battery manager, with a comprehensive efficiency of up to 89%. The comprehensive powertrain loss is reduced by 20%, with better NVH performance and improved heat dissipation efficiency.
In addition, the Yuan UP is equipped with a wide temperature range high-efficiency heat pump system and direct cooling and direct heating technology. The former can effectively improve the conversion rate of electrical energy to heat energy, even in extreme weather conditions of -30℃, increasing the low temperature endurance range by over 20%. The latter can greatly improve the cooling and heating effect of the battery, improve the overall performance of the battery pack, and extend the battery life.
According to official data, the Yuan UP will offer two types of electric motors, with maximum power of 70kW and 130kW, and corresponding maximum torque of 180N·m and 290N·m. At the same time, it will be equipped with two types of power batteries, with capacities of 32kW·h and 45.12kW·h. The CLTC comprehensive working condition range can reach 301km and 401km, whether it is city commuting or intercity travel, it can easily take care of both. In the current A0-level SUV competition trend, BYD has undoubtedly seized the opportunity and, by providing consumers with a superior experience, has allowed more users to feel the strength and sincerity of Chinese brands. With the high aesthetic value of the Yuan UP’s dragon element, detailed matching that can capture consumers’ hearts, and a globally five-star safety, fully equipped intelligent technology experience, it directly hits the “high points” of users from multiple dimensions, providing a better choice for commuting for the new generation of young people. Whether compared to the same level of joint venture opponents or pure electric competitors, the Yuan UP is expected to become a popular single product in the A0-level SUV market, helping BYD continue to advance vigorously in 2024.