Following its Southeast Asian debut in Indonesia back in July, BYD has now confirmed that the M6 fully electric MPV will soon be coming to Malaysia. This was confirmed by BYD Asia Pacific Auto Sales Division General Manager, Liu Xueliang, during a recent media event in Changsha. China.
No other information has been disclosed by BYD Malaysia nor its local distributor Sime Darby Beyond Auto just yet, including the launch date, but chances are it’ll be happening within the next two months, given the brand’s past proclivity for launching at least one car every year.
As for specifications, the car in Indonesia and Thailand could give us some pointers. First things first, the BYD M6 is a fully electric (EV) MPV, with roots in the e6 that was previously penned for launch in Malaysia. It’s available in either a six- and seven-seater, but it’s unclear if we would be getting both variants here too, as the latter is only available in Indonesia regionally.
Essentially a facelift of the aforementioned e6, the BYD M6 has been given a significant nip-and-tuck particularly on its front fascia, which now gets a full-width silver trim between the new headlights, in line with its new brand look. Round the back, the BYD M6 now also gets full-width tail lights with intricate detailing, while a set of 17-inch Y-spoke alloy wheels round out the exterior overhaul.
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Changes on the inside are relatively more reserved, with the most visible update being the new open pore wood-grain dashboard, as opposed to the glossy finish from the e6. The centre console has also been redesigned, notably now with a new stubby gear lever instead of the rotary dial. Unfortunately though, it appears the physical climate controls have been jettisoned in favour of a new wireless charging pad.
Higher up on the dashboard, the centre infotainment display has also increased in size from 10.1 to now 12.8 inches, complete with an orientation switch function that physically rotates the display. The steering wheel and instrument cluster has also been updated for a more modern appearance.
Standard equipment include an NFC key card, automatic climate control, faux leather upholstery, 360-degree surround view monitor, a six-speaker sound system, and vehicle-to-load (V2L) functionality. The higher-grade variant adds on a panoramic glass roof, power-adjustable and ventilated front seats, as well as a powered tailgate.
Autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, and lane centering assist is standard across all variants, giving the BYD M6 Level 2 SAE semi-autonomous driving capabilities. However, the more complete ADAS suite that includes features such as emergency lane keeping assist, blind spot monitor, rear cross traffic assist with autonomous braking, and door opening warning are exclusive to the Extended Range variant only.
The BYD M6 is available with just a single motor, although performance figures differ according to variant, of which there are two. On the base model (known as the Dynamic in Thailand), the front-mounted motor makes 163 hp (120 kW) and 310 Nm for a century sprint time of 10.1 seconds.
The Extended Range variant (Superior in Indonesia) meanwhile sees its power outputs increase to 204 hp (150 kW, similar to the Atto 3), which shortens its 0-100 km/h sprint time to 8.6 seconds. Both variants are a significant jump over the BYD e6’s performance figures.
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Powering the motor is the brand’s signature Blade lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, with a capacity of 55.4 kWh on the base variant, giving it a range of 420 km (NEDC). The Extended Range, as its name suggests, gets a larger 71.8 kWh battery pack, which raises its range up to 530 km (NEDC) in a single charge.
On the topic of charging, DC fast charging is supported up to 85 kW on the base variant and 115 kW on the Extended Range, with the latter taking 40 minutes to go from 10-80%. Both variants come with an on-board 7 kW AC charger.
The BYD M6 in Indonesia and Thailand are both priced to undercut the Toyota Innova Zenix, with their sticker price ranging from IDR379 million (approx. RM110k) to IDR429 million (approx. RM124k) in Indonesia, and THB829,900 (approx. RM107k) to THB929,900 (approx. RM120k) in Thailand.
Notably, the BYD M6’s starting price in Thailand is also cheaper than the range-topping Toyota Veloz in the Kingdom! Could this be an indication of BYD’s aggressive strategy when it comes to Malaysia too? Keep your eyes peeled!
[Photos courtesy of Tai Choo Yee/CarPlus.my. Thanks uncle!]
