BYD will undercut the Kia Sportage and Ford Kuga with a new plug-in hybrid SUV called the Sealion 5, available to order now from just under £30,000.
The Sealion 5 is BYD's ninth car in the UK and its fourth PHEV, joining the technically related DM-i versions of the Seal U, Seal 6 and Atto 2.
It measures 4.74m long, putting it about halfway between Kia's Sportage and Sorento.
As standard it uses a PHEV powertrain that combines a 1.5-litre petrol engine with an electric motor for 215bhp and a 0-62mph time of as little as 7.7sec.
Energy is stored in either a 13kWh or 18.3kWh battery, the latter of which is good for 53 miles of electric-only range and helps the SUV achieve 134.5mpg and combined CO2 emissions of just 48g/km on the WLTP test cycle.
The Sealion 5 is available in two trims: entry-level Comfort, at £29,995, includes 'vegan leather' upholstery, a 12.8in touchscreen, smartphone mirroring, a six-way adjustable driver's seat and a rear-view camera.
Top-spec Design trim – with the larger battery – adds £3000 and brings welcome lights, an electric boot lid, front parking sensors, a 360deg camera, a wireless phone charger and heated front seats.
The first cars are due in UK showrooms on 7 February, with customer deliveries to begin shortly after.
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It may well be a fine car but, I'd rather buy a one or two year old Western car and support our car industry's here.
How is buying a used car "supporting industry"? And don't you buy cheap new BMWs?
Keeps future depreciation lower, keeps the dealer and service network going etc.
30k, another super cheap Chinese car!
Does it come with a bag of prawn crackers?
The styling is a bit generic but it's certainly good value and a long warrenty makes it an appealing proposition