BYD, the rapidly growing force in the automotive industry, has recently reduced prices on another one of its affordable electric vehicles in China. Last year, the company sold an impressive 3.02 million battery-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, with 92% of these sales occurring within China. However, despite this success, growth has seen a significant slowdown this year. In February alone, sales plummeted by nearly 40% to 122,311 units, marking the slowest month in terms of sales since May 2022.
The latest addition to BYD's lineup, the e2 Honor Edition, utilizes an LFP Blade battery pack to power a single electric motor generating 94 horsepower. Despite its modest price, this model boasts a claimed range of 405 kilometers on the Chinese testing cycle and is surprisingly well-equipped. Notable features include a rotating central infotainment display reminiscent of the Atto 3, an 8.8-inch digital instrument cluster, and a heat pump—a feature often absent in many more expensive electric vehicles.
With the recent price adjustment, the e2 Honor Edition will now be available for just 89,900 yuan (~$12,500), a significant reduction from its previous price of 102,800 yuan (~$14,200). This places it in a price range comparable to that of a ten-year-old Toyota Corolla in the U.S. market.
The base e2 Honor Edition joins other affordable BYD models such as the Seagull, Qin Plus DM-I plug-in hybrid, Dolphin, and Chaser 05, all priced under 100,000 yuan (~$13,900). Prices for these models have been slashed in recent weeks, making them more accessible than ever and fueling an ongoing price war in the Chinese electric vehicle market.
According to the South China Morning Post, the 100,000-yuan threshold is seen as affordable for low-income earners in China and holds significant psychological importance. Eric Han, a senior manager at a Shanghai advisory firm, commented, "BYD appears to be taking an extremely aggressive stance in driving the transition from petrol cars to electric vehicles in China's automotive industry. The affordability of these cheap models will also attract middle-income consumers who are increasingly price-sensitive amidst a bearish economic outlook."