Start with what the BYD F0 is: a 5-door hatchback with 1.0 L BYD371QA I3, built from 2008 to 2020, in the decade of stability control, dual-clutch gearboxes and the first serious hybrids. What it meant takes a little longer.
The story
The BYD F0, formerly known as BYD F1, is a city car produced by the Chinese manufacturer BYD. It was introduced in July 2008 and was produced until 2015. Although petrol versions were discontinued, a subsequent electric version, branded under the new "e series" was launched in 2019 as the BYD e1. The F0 was unveiled at the 2007 Guangzhou motor show. The car was priced in 2009 at approximately US$6,700, and reportedly gets 56 mpg‑US (4.2 L/100 km; 67 mpg‑imp).
What is underneath
The engine is 1.0 L BYD371QA I3. On the scales it comes to 870 kg. Drive goes through a 5-speed manual transmission / manual / 5-speed automatic transmission / automatic / Electric Automatic. The layout matters: the engine drives the front wheels, the packaging choice that gives a small car a big cabin. The wheelbase is 2340 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Its place in the line
In the Byd line-up the BYD F0 has a clear place: it replaced the BYD Flyer; it handed the line to the BYD Seagull (electric version). The cars a buyer would have weighed it against include the Tesla Roadster, the Nissan 370Z, the Volkswagen Tiguan. Nearby in the Byd catalogue sit the BYD 8TT and the BYD Atto 2.