- BYD has unveiled a Brazil-specific model can run on any ratio of petrol and ethanol.
- The company will donate 30 examples of the limited-edition Song Pro COP30 to the UN climate summit.
- The Song Pro will be built at a new Brazilian factory that will eventually produce 600,000 vehicles per year.
BYD has revealed the first "super hybrid" vehicle with biofuel compatibility: a Song Pro developed specifically for the Brazilian market, where it will also be built.
Unveiled at a ceremony to officially inaugurate BYD's final-assembly line in Camaçari, Brazil, the Song Pro ('sister vehicle' to the mechanically-identical Sealion 5 due here soon) utilises BYD's Dual Mode Intelligent (DM-i) powertrain - seen locally in the Sealion 6 - that offers a predominantly EV driving experience, with the combustion engine functioning primarily as a power generator for the battery, even when driving in hybrid mode.
BYD says engineers from China and Brazil collaborated on a version of the DM-i system's 1.5-engine that can run on any ratio of petrol and ethanol, Brazil's most popular green fuel, while offering strong performance and high efficiency.
As part of a ceremony attended by Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a Song Pro COP30 edition rolled off the production line in Camaçari to become BYD's 14 millionth new-energy vehicle globally. Thirty examples of this special edition are being donated to COP30, the forthcoming United Nations climate summit in Brazil.
"After two years of effort by more than 100 Chinese and Brazilian engineers, today our 14 millionth vehicle rolls off the production line equipped with the world's first plug-in hybrid engine dedicated to biofuel," said BYD founder and CEO Wang Chuanfu.
"This is not just a technological breakthrough – it is a green and sustainable solution tailor-made for Brazil.
"Two years ago, on a visit to Brazil, I realised the potential of ethanol. We then decided that we would bring our plug-in hybrid technology, but with a flex engine developed by and for this country. The car we are delivering today to President Lula is proof that BYD not only invests in Brazil but also co-creates with Brazil unique solutions for the world."
Part of BYD's policy of localised production in key regions, the new Brazilian factory has been operating since July. It has the capacity to produce 150,000 vehicles per year in its first phase and 300,000 in the later stage, and is the largest electric vehicle production facility in Latin America and BYD's largest facility outside Asia.
During a meeting with President Lula, Wang confirmed a new investment to expand the factory and double its annual production capacity, from the planned 300,000 vehicles to up to 600,000 units per year.
