On March 26, BYD’s new pure electric compact SUV Yuan UP was officially launched, with a price range of 9.68-11.98 million yuan. Yuan UP adopts BYD e-platform 3.0 technology and is currently the smallest SUV model on the platform.
The original UP uses CTB battery integrated body technology, eight-in-one electric powertrain, direct cooling and direct heating of the battery, and highly integrated thermal management technology. The vehicle has significant advantages in space, energy consumption, safety, and other aspects compared to vehicles in the same class.
The exterior dimensions are 4310×1830×1675, with a wheelbase of 2620mm. The design continues BYD’s Dragon Face 3.0 design language, blending traditional Chinese culture and playful elements. The body comes in youthful colors such as bold pink, relaxed green, self-satisfied white, and cool gray.
The overall proportion and body posture of the Yuan UP are very attractive, with full and dynamic lines. The exterior design style is cool and cute, with U-shaped silver decorations running through the left and right headlights. The headlights use full LED light sources, with exquisite styling and functions such as automatic headlights, dynamic turn signals, and delayed headlight shutdown.
The front right fender of the car is equipped with a fast and slow charging interface. The Element Up has VTOL mobile power station function, enabling the vehicle to become a large mobile power bank, supporting a maximum power of up to 3.3kw, meeting the needs of most high-power appliances, outdoor cooking, and leisure activities, enjoying a comfortable new driving experience.
The intake decoration on both sides of the front of the car shows a certain sense of sportiness. The front face is equipped with a closed grille and a smoked black central grid, which blends with the LED daytime running lights on both sides and the matrix-type headlight assembly, creating a very sharp visual effect. The front of the car looks very powerful.
Arriving at the side of the car, its body curves are very tough, the front and rear wheel arches are very crossover, and very rugged, but the overall feeling of the car is very cool, and the sense of sportiness is very strong. If it is chosen by female users, I believe that most of them will choose the bold pink body color.
The car door handle uses a semi-concealed design, ensuring easy access in all seasons and reducing aerodynamic drag while driving.
Arriving at the rear, the Yuan UP features a floating roof design, creating a strong visual impact. The body is divided into two colors. The taillights are designed in the shape of the number “8”, similar to the Chinese knot, also resembling a Mobius strip, representing a complete and closed loop.
The BYD Yuan Up inherits the royal family’s legacy in its appearance, with its own unique details such as the tail lights and wheel arches, showcasing its rebellious personality in the details. The surround-style skirt and colorful wheel arches make this A0-class car even more lovely and interesting as the avant-garde of the BYD dynasty.
In the interior, the color scheme is mainly black and beige, with the special pink edition featuring pink accents. The dual-tone style looks neat, with a clear layout of the center console and dual LCD screens. Additionally, there is an 8-inch W-HUD head-up display, which is a feature of the high-end model.
The overall design style of the central control panel still adopts the design of the dragon face, and the design of the air outlets on both sides is similar to the design of Chinese knots, which also echoes the shape of the taillights. The innovative design in the cabin is the polygonal elements on the door panels, which can be illuminated, and also displayed on the armrest in front of the central island. This “ring” is the core of the interior design of the new UP. It is an inspiration of a gathering energy ring, like a group of “halos”, giving the interior a full sense of “energy”.
The circular handles in groups of four in the front cabin interlock, symbolizing the value of unity in Chinese culture. The six circular handles in the front and rear cabins intertwine, stack, loop, and connect, drawing inspiration from the Chinese knot but with a unique innovative twist.
In addition, the Yuan UP handle adopts a star-shaped design, and the cutting inside the handle forms a very textured style, enhancing the interior tone of the car. Among the same level of models, there is no such design yet.
The design of the Yuan UP cockpit is very stylish and of high quality, with a unique two-layered structure that forms the main dashboard. The upper surface has a sharp transition, while the lower main line extends to the door panel, embracing the entire cockpit. It retains the enclosed momentum of the royal family cockpit and injects a new, clear sporty posture.
The physical buttons are well integrated with the touchscreen, the multifunction steering wheel and physical buttons on the center console allow for blind control of media, air conditioning, energy feedback, and driving modes.
In terms of car machine, Yuan UP is equipped with DiLink smart networking system, using a new HMI interface design – Di UI, with a massive APP ecosystem, and OTA for the entire system. The DiLink smart networking system brings users a leading technological experience. In terms of configuration, there are also digital keys, wireless charging for mobile phones, in-car ETC, panoramic sunroof, remote driving, and built-in dashcam.
Of course, the 12.8-inch floating central control screen can still rotate like other BYD models, making it convenient to use vertical screen apps like TikTok.
In terms of space, the seat cover and ergonomics used in the interior of the Yuan UP are all that of a small SUV. The front seats of the Yuan UP adopt an integrated comfortable design, with smooth lines perfectly matching ergonomics. The front seats can be adjusted at multiple angles to meet various sitting positions.
The entire car seats use the latest FAURECIA dragon III frame platform, which is lighter than the industry’s equivalent level. The seat fabric is made of luxurious leather, high-end and classy; the foam hardness has been adjusted multiple times to provide sufficient support while also providing a sofa-like seating experience.
The driver’s seat is electronically adjustable in six directions, and the passenger’s seat is electronically adjustable in four directions. The total adjustment range for the driver and passenger seats is 260mm, comparable to the front and rear travel of a luxury B-class car. The backrest adjustment angle is 75°, and it is equipped with heating function.
The rear seats of the Yuan UP can be folded in a 4:6 ratio to increase the luggage space, with a maximum volume of 1320L when fully expanded.
In terms of power and endurance, the BYD Yuan UP three-electric system exhibits the bright spots of small size and high efficiency. It adopts an eight-in-one single motor and core technology of blade battery. The maximum power of the motor has two options, 70/130kW, and the maximum torque is 180/290 N·m.
There are two options for battery capacity: 32kW·h and 45.12kW·h, with corresponding ranges of 301km and 401km. The vehicle utilizes direct cooling and heating technology.
The highly efficient eight-in-one electric powertrain integrates the motor, electronic control, transmission, DC-DC converter, on-board charging, distribution box, vehicle controller, and battery management system. It has a high level of integration, high power density, and high efficiency, with a comprehensive efficiency of up to 89%.
The new UP adopts flat wire motor: 20% increase in power density, 1% increase in overall efficiency, and larger efficient range; under the same load conditions, the flat wire motor has lower temperature rise and better NVH performance. The new UP adopts CTB battery integrated body technology, increasing the body’s torsional stiffness by 32%, improving stability and driving fun for urban commuting; at the same time, the floor vibration amplitude is reduced by 62.9%, and the NVH performance is greatly optimized. The integration of the battery pack cover with the traditional body floor structure optimizes the overall Z-directional space structure of the vehicle, increasing the headroom in the car interior.
In summary, the BYD Yuan UP, as a small pure electric SUV, integrates the advantages of the BYD pure electric platform, highlighting delicacy and practicality in interior and configuration. It not only meets the car needs of young users but also enhances the core competitiveness in the same market segment. It can be said that BYD, by launching the Yuan UP, will comprehensively impact the market share of pure electric SUVs in all categories.