BYD Takes Aim at Both Ends of the Market with Datang EV and Song Hybrid as Profit Slump Persists

BYD's net profit drops 55% amid brutal price war; launches premium Datang EV (950km range) and ultra-cheap Song Ultra DM-i hybrid (1,845km range) from $19K.

BYD is trying to fight its way out of a deepening domestic price war with a two-pronged product offensive, launching a premium full-electric SUV while simultaneously rolling out a cut-price plug-in hybrid with an eye-watering combined range. The moves come as the Shenzhen-based automaker’s first-quarter numbers reveal the toll of brutal competition: net profit tumbled 55.4% to 4.1 billion yuan, and revenue slipped 11.8% to 150.2 billion yuan, weighed down by weak home-market demand and the wind-down of state subsidies for budget EVs and plug-in hybrids.

At the top of the range sits the Datang, the first D-segment SUV in the Dynasty series and the company’s new flagship. Priced between 250,000 and 320,000 yuan, it is a clear bid to push above BYD’s traditional mass-market territory. Pre-orders, which opened on 24 April at the Beijing auto show, have already topped 100,000 units in the first two weeks. The Datang is due for its official debut in Xi’an in mid-June. It measures 5,263 millimetres in length with a wheelbase of 3,130 millimetres, and seats seven in a 2+2+3 layout. There are three range variants: 800 kilometres for the rear-wheel-drive base, 950 kilometres for the long-range RWD, and 850 kilometres for the all-wheel-drive version—all measured under China’s CLTC cycle. That top-end AWD car hits 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds, thanks to the second-generation Blade battery and a 1,000-volt architecture.

At the other end of the spectrum, BYD has just put the Song Ultra DM-i on the market. This mid-size SUV uses the fifth generation of the company’s plug-in hybrid system and starts at just 129,900 yuan (roughly $19,100), with a top trim of 159,900 yuan. The powertrain couples a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated engine producing 74 kW with a 175 kW electric motor. Buyers can pick a standard 26.6-kWh Blade battery offering 205 kilometres of pure-electric range, or a 38-kWh unit that stretches that to 310 kilometres. Fully fuelled and charged, BYD claims a total range of 1,845 kilometres and a fuel consumption of 3.3 litres per 100 kilometres when the battery is depleted.

Standard equipment on the Song Ultra DM-i includes the DiSus-C adaptive damping system and a tyre-blowout stabilisation system, plus a 15.6-inch rotating central screen and a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster. Every variant also comes with BYD’s “God’s Eye C” highway navigation assist, while higher trims can be upgraded to “God’s Eye B”, which adds LiDAR for fully automated parking and urban navigation—no driver intervention required.

The Song Ultra DM-i is aimed squarely at buyers still driving petrol cars, offering enough daily electric range to cover most commutes without sacrificing long-distance capability. It follows several sedans that launched earlier this quarter with the same fifth-generation DM technology.

But the big question is whether the strong pre-order numbers for the Datang will translate into actual deliveries at the stated prices—or whether BYD will be forced to offer discounts even in the premium bracket. The research and development bill for the first quarter already stood at 11.3 billion yuan, a huge burden against a net profit of just 4.1 billion. With the price war showing no sign of abating, BYD is betting that a pair of very different newcomers can revive both volume and margins. The Xi’an launch in June will be the first real test.