A 505 Horsepower Chinese SUV: Meet The BYD Tang
Chinese vehicles have somewhat of a bad reputation on our continent: most of them can’t pass our crash tests since their build quality is not great, and some don’t even manage to get that far, having copyright problems with BMW and Land Rover.
This is why BYD’s latest SUV, the Tang, is interesting. Not only does it feature a style of its own (okay, you can make out some features from the Kia Sorento, the Acura MDX or the Nissan Murano, but overall it is somewhat unique!), it also packs some technologies you don’t typically see in Chinese vehicles: while most of them are equipped with anemic little four-cylinder engines, the Tang has a much more advanced drivetrain. First of all, a turbocharged 2 litre mill pumps out 205 horsepower. A pair of electric motors (each developing 150 horsepower) are also used, bumping the total horsepower rating to 505. In this configuration, the SUV can go from 0 to 100 km/h in under 5 seconds, and can also sip fuel at a rate of 2 litres per 100 km. Even better, the BYD Tang starts at around $48,000 and can be recharged using a wall plug.
Oh, and in case you were wondering how the vehicle got its name: BYD means Build Your Dreams, and Tang was the name of the dynasty which ruled the Chinese empire from 618 to 907 AD.
