BYD made a big splash a few years back when it became the first Chinese automaker to develop a highway-capable plug-in vehicle. That announcement brought a flurry of publicity and a Warren Buffett investment in the firm, but has yet to translate into real plugin sales success. Now, BYD is making a big splash again, by announcing another first for a Chinese automaker: an in-house, stratified-injection, all-aluminum turbocharged engine with a dual-clutch transmission. The 1.5 liter engine creates 178 lb-ft of torque from 1750-3500 RPMs, according to a BYD release, putting “[power] equivalent to a 2.4 liter gasoline engine” through “an advanced 6-Speed Tiptronic dual-clutch design” transmission. BYD insists that the drivetrain’s technology was developed in-house, but some may point to the firm’s ties to VW as a source of the know-how in China’s first modern engine.
I’d say “don’t underestimate the Chinese”, but that is pretty much a cliche by now.
Point of clarification: Buffett did not invest in BYD simply because it had developed a plug-in vehicle. The company also produces half of the world’s cell phone batteries, which is the sort of cash cow investment for which Buffett is known.
Don’t overestimate the Chinese either. BYD is all about talking the talk but walking the walk isn’t their strong suit when it comes to innovation. Wikileaks disclosures revealed their bread and butter ICE business to be all about retro engineering, slave labour and intellectual property theft. Their new energy vehicle program is pretty much all bluff and no show. If BYD is any indication chinese business culture is all about cutting corners. Problem is that one day your problems will catch up with you and BYD is very much in that phase now. Doesn’t stop them from making new wild claims like this new transmission though. From BYD’s past performance record I reckon it’s either all bluff or it’s all stolen from VAG.
No argument there. But don’t underestimate their ability to turn others’ innovation into their own market share.
“ties to VW’? What ties to VW?
There are reports that the relationship between the pair of VW and its Japanese partner is souring as VW guards against sharing too much about its technology. If VW wouldn’t share it with its Japanese future bride, what makes one think it will share it voluntarily with a chinese friend?
Would that be Tiptronic in the generic, manumatic sense, or Tiptronic in the “trademarked by Porsche” sense?
I thought it sounded familiar
Break Your Drivetrain.
Direct injection certainly, but stratified injection? I don’t think so.
I am curious about the use of “RPMs”. Did that originate in the press release?
As for Tiptronic – that sure sounds like a trademark to me.