This is BYD’s Fang Cheng Bao Leopard 5. Quite a mouthful indeed. Fact is, Fang Cheng Bao is a brand of BYD and Leopard 5 is the name of the car. It carries a Hybrid powertrain (500kW, 760Nm) based on a 1.5-litre petrol engine, two electric motors as well as a 4×4 system. BYD says it will drive for about 1 200km from a tank. Word is, BYD – which is now selling cars in Mzansi – is also considering markets outside of China for this car.
Some of the competitors of this vehicle would be the Land Rover Defender, Toyota Land Cruiser 300 and Haval H9. It measures 4.9 metres long, 1.9m tall and has a long wheelbase of 2.8m. Wheels are 18-inch or 20-inch, depending on the application. In China the car is priced up to the equivalent of R1.5 million.