Strip the BYD Song Max back to its specification sheet and the character is already there: Petrol engine, 152 -. Byd built from 2017 to 2024, as electrification stopped being an experiment and the crossover took every market. Its designer of record is Under the lead of Wolfgang Egger.
The background
The BYD Song Max (Chinese: 比亚迪宋MAX) is a compact multi purpose vehicle (MPV) developed by BYD since 2017. Initially available solely as an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle with a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine, BYD introduced the plug-in hybrid and battery electric versions since 2019.
In 2022, BYD discontinued the petrol-powered Song Max and replaced it with the plug-in hybrid Song Max DM-i after it ended production of ICE vehicles. The second-generation BYD e6 is a battery electric vehicle heavily based on the Song Max that is predominantly sold as taxis and other fleet usage, which is sold since 2021 in China and in right-hand drive export markets such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia and India. A more upscale version of the e6, borrowing elements from the newer Song Max with design revisions and a more powerful electric motor has been available as the BYD M6 since 2024 for export markets.
The engineering
Under the skin sits Petrol engine; it is rated at 152 -; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. Kerb weight is 1800-1915 kg. Power-to-weight lands near 84 horsepower per tonne, which is unhurried — enough for the job, not for the bragging. The gearbox is a 6-speed Manual transmission / manual / 6-speed Dual clutch transmission / DCT / E-CVT (DM-i) / 1-speed Automatic transmission (BEV). The wheelbase is 2785 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Where it sits
Where it sits in Byd's history is not in doubt: the BYD M6 (2010) came before it; it was built at Changsha, Hunan. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Hongqi H5, the BMW X2, the Mazda CX-8. Its Byd stablemates include the BYD 8TT and the BYD Atto 2.