FangChengBao, the brand BYD set up in 2023, spans the ladder-frame Leopard 5 and Leopard 8 off-roaders as well as the road-biased Tai 3 and Tai 7 crossovers. Its new flagship, the Tai 9, surfaced in a Chinese MIIT filing in early August and made its first public appearance at the Chengdu show later that month — but with doors locked and windows blacked out, the cabin stayed hidden until now.
Inside, the Tai 9 is laid out for six. A digital instrument display is integrated into the dashboard, while the rest of the panel is dominated by one huge, uninterrupted multimedia screen — a format currently in vogue among Chinese automakers. The center console carries two wireless charging pads, physical switches, cupholders and an extra touchscreen angled toward the driver, and the flagship is expected to add heated, ventilated and massaging seats, a fridge and an overhead screen for rear passengers.
Outside, the big SUV gets intricate lighting, muscular flanks, a floating-style roofline and a two-piece tailgate whose lower section folds down, while a lidar unit above the windshield points to a capable driver-assist suite. It measures 5,270 mm long, 1,999 mm wide and 1,850 mm tall on a 3,100 mm wheelbase, riding on 21- or 22-inch wheels.
Certification documents describe the Tai 9 as an all-wheel-drive plug-in hybrid pairing a 156-hp 1.5-liter turbo engine with two electric motors producing 544 hp combined. According to Chinese media, it carries a 66.48-kWh battery good for 310 km of electric range on the WLTC cycle, and rear-wheel steering is also on the list. Sales in China are expected before the end of the year.