BYD has officially released the Great Tang in China. This is not the successor of the Tang, but a more luxurious model positioned higher in the hierarchy. Its size and technology give it the allure of a limo in an SUV, though its price tells a different story.
The BYD Great Tang doesn’t arrive empty-handed on the Chinese market, where it is better known as the Da Tang. Already 150,000 preorders are in the bag. That is not just a strong start; it is a strong start. It is the highest single-model preorder figure BYD has ever recorded.
Proper luxury flagship
It raises an awkward question for anyone still convinced that Chinese EVs are merely “cheap alternatives.” At 239,900 yuan, or roughly €30,700, the entry-level Great Tang undercuts most European compact SUVs while offering the dimensions, range, and charging speed of a proper luxury flagship.
Let us get the specs out of the way because they are startling. The Great Tang is a full-size, three-row SUV measuring 5,263 mm in length and 3,130 mm in wheelbase. That puts it in the same territory as the Li Auto L9 and comfortably beyond the Hyundai Ioniq 9 or Kia EV9 for references that resonate better in Europe.
Range and performance
The headline grabber is range. From a 130.1 kWh second-generation Blade Battery, this large SUV claims 950 kilometers of range in its top trim (according to the Chinese CLTC cycle, which corresponds roughly to 750-800 kilometers WLTP).
BYD says that makes it the longest-range full-size SUV globally. Even the entry-level Premium gets a 105.79 kWh pack. In Europe, this capacity would qualify as ‘huge” but here it is the budget option.
Performance is equally uncompromising. The dual-motor all-wheel-drive version outputs 585 kW (almost 800 hp) and dispatches the 0-100 km/h sprint in 3.9 seconds.
The rear-wheel-drive version manages the same distance in 6.2 seconds. Top speed is capped at 250 km/h. For a seven-seat family bus, those numbers are nothing but ridiculous.
The Great Tang rides on BYD’s 1,000-volt high-voltage architecture, paired with the Flash Charging system the company recently unveiled and has started implementing. The numbers look like they’re typos 10% to 70% in five minutes, and 10% to 97% in nine minutes. Under optimal conditions, of course.
DrDrop-downinema
The interior is where BYD’s ambition becomes impossible to ignore. The Great Tang introduces China’s first 2+2+3 seven-seat configuration in this class. The front row gets dual zero-gravity seats.
The second row offers what BYD calls “aviation-style” lounge chairs with motorized leg rests. There is an overhead entertainment screen, a built-in cooler, folding tray tables, and a triple-layer acoustic glass canopy covering.
The dashboard features three large screens spanning the entire width: one for the driver, one for infotainment, and a final one for the passenger. Rear passengers get their own drop-down cinema.
Xiaomi’s party trick
Perhaps the most telling detail is the small magnetic buttons. BYD has introduced what it calls Lingdong magnetic keys. These physical dials snap onto magnetic cabin interfaces to control climate, audio, or seat positions.
This is a concept pioneered by Xiaomi’s IoT ecosystem, now transplanted into a full-size SUV. It is a minor feature in isolation, but it signals something larger: the boundary between automotive and consumer electronics is gradually vanishing.
The Great Tang gets BYD’s DiSus-A intelligent suspension with dual-chamber air springs and a 100 mm travel threshold. It reads the road ahead and pre-emptively adjusts damping.
Standard rear-wheel steering articulates up to ±7 degrees, tightening the turning circle to 5.2 meters (tighter than some compact hatchbacks) while enabling crab-walk mode – an impressive bundle for a car in this price range.
The Great Tang is, for now, a China-only launch. But BYD has a habit of eventually bringing its best hardware westward.
