• Fang Cheng Bao launched a 510-km rear-wheel-drive flash-charging version of the Tai 3, priced from 143,800 yuan ($21,180).
• The new entry-level Tai 3 has a smaller battery pack but quicker acceleration.

BYD's (HKEX: 1211) personalized sub-brand Fang Cheng Bao on Thursday launched a new variant of the Tai 3 SUV (sport utility vehicle), lowering the model's entry price.

The new 510-km rear-wheel-drive flash-charging version is priced at 143,800 yuan ($21,180), 10,000 yuan less than the previous entry-level 620-km rear-wheel-drive flash-charging version, which starts at 153,800 yuan.

The new variant shares the same core specifications as the 620-km rear-wheel-drive version, including the same 240-kW (322 hp) rear motor.

The main difference is that the new variant uses BYD's second-generation Blade Battery with a capacity of 64.3 kWh, giving it a CLTC range of 510 kilometers.

The previous entry-level version has a 75.6-kWh battery pack and a CLTC range of 620 kilometers.

Thanks to the smaller battery pack, the new variant has a lighter curb weight of 1,920 kilograms and can accelerate from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in 6.9 seconds, faster than the 7.3 seconds of the 620-km rear-wheel-drive version.

Including the new base variant, all Tai 3 flash-charging versions support fast charging that can take the battery from 10% to 70% in 5 minutes and from 10% to 97% in just 9 minutes.

The Tai 3 flash-charging version was launched on March 13. The vehicle measures 4,605 mm in length, 1,900 mm in width and 1,720 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2,745 mm.

The model faced supply bottlenecks for BYD's second-generation Blade Battery shortly after launch. Deliveries were originally scheduled to begin in mid-April but were later delayed until May.

Fang Cheng Bao's team stationed staff at BYD production bases in Shaanxi, Anhui and Zhengzhou in May in an effort to boost output.

Tai 3 deliveries reached 5,945 units in July, up 8.05% from June, according to data compiled by CnEVPost. Deliveries totaled 30,372 units in the first 7 months of this year and about 95,628 units since launch.

The model reached a monthly peak of 12,017 deliveries in June last year before sales gradually declined.

Fang Cheng Bao as a whole has shown stronger momentum. The brand delivered 41,213 vehicles in July, up 190.64% year-on-year and 15.74% from June.

In the first 7 months of this year, Fang Cheng Bao delivered 200,687 vehicles, up 167.85% year-on-year.

The Tai lineup is Fang Cheng Bao's second product series after the Bao lineup, which focuses on rugged off-road vehicles, and is aimed more at family users.

($1 = 6.7888 yuan)