Electric Mercedes G-Wagon competitor launching by China’s BYD starting at less than $60K
Leading Chinese EV maker BYD, or “Build Your Dreams,” if you will, is launching an electric Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon competitor as part of its new brand of vehicles. The lineup, codenamed “F-Brand,” is launching its first SUV as a direct competitor to the Mercedes G-Class, starting at less than $60,000 later this year.
Since its foundation in 1995, BYD has grown from a startup with 20 employees to a global leader in the electric vehicle revolution.
BYD Auto is the automotive division of BYD Company, established in 2003, that manufactures buses, trucks, and passenger vehicles in China and other counties like Japan with plans to expand further into Europe and the UK.
Thanks to the rapidly expanding Chinese EV market, BYD has grown to become one of the leading EV makers globally, selling 911,140 battery electric vehicles in 2022, an increase of 184% from the previous year.
The automaker’s flagship Han EV is expected to play an integral role in BYD’s overseas expansion. The Han EV is a mid-size luxury sedan featuring a 76.8 kWh pack powered by BYD’s LFP blade batteries (check out our full review of the Han EV).
As a result, the BYD Han has over 600 km NEDC range (over 371 miles) with fast-charging abilities from 30% to 80% in 34 minutes, according to the company’s website.
In November, the Chinese EV leader announced it was launching two new brands. The first is the luxurious YanWang, released in January, with vehicles starting over $100,000 (800,000 RMB).
The second is codenamed “F-Brand,” and from recent released photos, it looks like the brand’s first model will be an electric SUV to rival the Mercedes G-Wagon.
BYD launching an electric SUV aimed at Mercedes G-Wagon
BYD recently released a few photos of its upcoming electric SUV, and according to a new report from Sina, the off-road electric SUV will feature 680 hp (500kw) and will begin pre-sales later this year.
Although BYD has not disclosed much information about the vehicle, company representatives say the “F-Brand” is designed to be professional and personalized.
As you can see from the images, BYD’s new off-road electric SUV is almost an exact replica of the Mercedes G-Wagon with a square design and large grille area. In fact, in one of the images, you can actually see what appears to be a Mercedes G-Glass in the background.
Company representatives have stated pricing for the new lineup will stay between Denza and YangWang, around 400,000 to 600,000 yuan ($58,000 to $87,000).
BYD is also planning to launch an electric pickup from the upcoming brand. Check back for more details soon on BYD’s F brand EVs.
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Environment
Baidu- and Geely-backed JiYue brand unveils ROBO X EV that goes 0-100 km/h in under 1.9 sec
JiYue, a Chinese EV brand focused on delivering all-electric “robocars” to the masses, has unveiled its latest model, and it’s quite a deviation from its previous EVs—but in the best way. Earlier today, JiYue launched the ROBO X supercar, designed for high-speed racing. By high speed, we mean 0-100 km/h acceleration in under 1.9 seconds. My mouth is watering.
JiYue has only existed since 2021, when parent tech company Baidu announced it was expanding from software development into physical EV production, joining forces with multinational automotive manufacturer Geely.
The new “robotic EV” marque initially launched as JIDU with $300 million in startup capital before garnering an additional $400 million in Series A funding, led by Baidu, in January 2022.
In August 2023, Geely took on a larger role in JIDU alongside a greater financial stake as the brand reimagined itself as JiYue, inheriting the JIDU logo and its flagship model, the 01 ROBOCAR.
In December 2023, Baidu and Geely unveiled a second model called the JiYue 07. It was born from JIDU’s ROBO-02 concept, which debuted in 2023 and was designed to compete against the Tesla Model 3 in China.
The 07 finally launched in China earlier this year with 545 miles of range. With an all-electric SUV and sedan on the market, JiYue has unveiled an exciting new entry in the form of a performance supercar called the ROBO X. Check it out:
JiYue’s new ROBO X EV is available for pre-order now
JiYue showcased its new ROBO X hypercar in front of the crowd at the 2024 Guangzhou Auto Show earlier today. Similar to previous models but with a unique spin, JiYue described the ROBO X as an AI smart-driving supercar that, for the first time, blends artificial intelligence and autonomous driving into a high-performance, race-ready EV.
When we say “high performance,” we mean a quad motor liquid-cooled drive system that can propel the ROBO X from 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in under 1.9 seconds. JiYue called the new ROBO X a “performance beast” with “the perfect balance of excellent aerodynamic performance and high downforce.” JiYue CEO Joe Xia was even bolder in his statements about the ROBO X:
For the next 20 years, the design of supercars will bear the shadow of Robo X. This is the best design in the history of Chinese automobiles today, and it is a landmark presence.
Fighter-style airflow ducts bolster the EV’s aerodynamics, efficiency, and overall posture. Per JiYue, the two-seater ROBO X is expected to deliver a maximum range of over 650 km (404 miles).
The new supercar features falcon-wing doors, a carbon fiber integrated frame, and a professional racing HALO safety system offering 360° of support. The interior features an AI smart cockpit with SIMO real-time feedback to give drivers an immersive racing experience.
Furthermore, JiYue said the vehicle will utilize parent company Baidu’s Apollo self-driving technology, which could make it the first electric supercar to apply pure-vision ADAS technology that enables track-level autonomous driving.
Following today’s unveiling of the ROBO X, JiYue has officially opened up pre-orders in China for RMB 49,999 ($6,915). That said, reservation holders will need to be patient as JiYue shared that it doesn’t expect to begin mass production of the ROBO X until 2027.
What do you think? Will people be talking about the ROBO X for the next 20 years?
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This week on Electrek’s Wheel-E podcast, we discuss the most popular news stories from the world of electric bikes and other nontraditional electric vehicles. This time, that includes the launch of the Lectric XPedition 2.0, Yamaha e-bikes pulling out of North America, LiveWire unveils an electric scooter concept, PNY readying its cargo e-scooters for pilot testing, Royal Enfield’s first electric motorcycle, and more.
The Wheel-E podcast returns every two weeks on Electrek’s YouTube channel, Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
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Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the Wheel-E podcast today:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 9:30 a.m. ET (or the video after 10:30 a.m. ET):
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Crude oil futures were on pace Friday for loss for the week, as a supply gut and a strong dollar depresses the market.
U.S. crude oil is down more than 2% this week, while Brent has shed nearly 2%.
Here are Friday’s energy prices:
- West Texas Intermediate December contract: $68.56 per barrel, down 14 cents, or 0.2%. Year to date, U.S. crude oil has shed about 4%.
- Brent January contract: $72.36 per barrel, down 20 cents, or 0.28%. Year to date, the global benchmark has lost nearly 6%.
- RBOB Gasoline December contract: $1.99 per gallon, up 0.46%. Year to date, gasoline has fallen more than 1%.
- Natural Gas December contract: $2.70 per thousand cubic feet, down 2.98%. Year to date, gas has gained more than 4%.
The International Energy Agency has forecast a surplus of more than 1 million barrels per day in 2025 on robust production in the U.S. OPEC revised down its demand forecast for the fourth consecutive month as demand in China remains soft.
A strong dollar also hangs over the market, as the greenback has surged in the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory.
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