BYD onthult snellere Blade-batterij om Chinese verkoop te herstellen

BEIJING/SHANGHAI, March 5 (Reuters) - BYD unveiled its first major battery upgrade in six years on Thursday, as the Chinese electric vehicle maker seeks to regain momentum in a highly competitive domestic market after a steep sales slump.

The second-generation Blade Battery can charge rapidly from 20% to 97% in under 12 minutes, even at minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit), delivering a driving range of 777 km (483 miles), BYD's chairman Wang Chuanfu said in Shenzhen. 

The higher-density batteries can push BYD's premium Denza Z9GT and luxury Yangwang U7 models beyond a 1,000 km driving range, Wang said, and have passed safety tests exceeding China's latest national standards. 

BYD also aims to expand its "Flash Charging" network to 20,000 stations by the end of 2026, including 2,000 on highways. The company had built more than 4,000 stations as of March 5.

During the three-hour live-streamed event, BYD launched more than 10 models equipped with its new Blade Batteries across all brands, with prices ranging from 155,000 yuan ($22,463.44) for its Song Ultra EV to 1.3 million yuan for the flagship Yangwang U8L. 

While acknowledging the technological advances of BYD's battery, analysts said the vehicle lineup would not be enough to boost slumping sales as Chinese consumers increasingly seek more affordable options.

"Given the weakness in the Chinese EV market, we don't expect share to be easily recovered and remain watchful to see how volumes play out," said Eugene Hsiao, an analyst at Macquarie.

Shares of BYD in Hong Kong were up 1.2% in morning trade on Friday, while its Shenzhen-listed shares slid 0.3%.

VALUE-DRIVEN MARKET  

The unveiling comes as Beijing pushes for a shift toward a value-driven auto market, steering companies away from punishing price wars and towards more distinctive, better-quality products. 

BYD is also aligning with China's latest initiative to double the number of charging facilities in three years. 

Wary of last year's discount-driven stock selloff in the sector and regulatory warnings, BYD rolled out longer-range plug-in hybrids this year and joined Tesla in offering seven-year low-interest financing plans.

However, the company is yet to reverse a slump in domestic sales attributed to BYD's diminishing technological leadership, Chinese media reports have previously cited Wang as saying. 

FAILED TO STEM DOMESTIC SALES SLIDE

BYD's early 2025 innovation pitches failed to stem a sales slide that began in the second half of 2025, and volumes fell further in January and February this year, when BYD was overtaken by local rival Geely.

The expiration of China's purchase tax exemption on EVs and plug-in hybrids has also benefited legacy automakers like Volkswagen, which regained its top-selling position in China in January.

Last year, BYD sought to drive innovation with advanced assisted-driving features on affordable models priced under $10,000.  

It also touted a five-minute super-charging system last year to take on Tesla in charging speed, and rolled out two EV models - Han L sedan and Tang L SUV - in April. 

But combined sales of both totalled just 49,000 units as of January, a small slice of BYD's total sales of 3.76 million vehicles over the same period.

($1 = 6.9001 Chinese yuan renminbi)

(Reporting by Beijing and Shanghai Newsrooms; Editing by Louise Heavens, Bernadette Baum and Kate Mayberry)

Bron: Reuters. Dit artikel is automatisch vertaald. Bekijk het originele artikel.