Another day, another brand was added to BYD‘s expansive portfolio in China. The Fang Cheng Bao is an SUV-focused brand positioned above the Denza but far lower than the flagship YangWang. Its first model is a plug-in hybrid ladder-frame off-roader called Leopard 5, which will soon be joined by the smaller Leopard 3 and the larger Leopard 8.

Fang Cheng Bao unveiled the Leopard 5 at an event in China before its official debut at the Chengdu Auto Show on August 25. The SUV, which was previewed in the form of a camouflaged prototype last March, looks fairly rugged. It has boxy fenders, aluminum-style skid plates, a spare wheel mounted at the back, and classic off-road proportions, alongside modern styling cues borrowed from rival models. Depending on the trim, it comes fitted with 18-inch wheels shod in BFGoodrich A/T tires, or 20-inch wheels shod in road-focused Michelin Pilot Sport rubber.

With a length of 4,890 mm, a width of 1,970 mm, a height of 1,920 mm, and a 2,800 mm wheelbase, it is slightly smaller than the new Toyota Land Cruiser Prado. This explains the two-row five-seater layout inside the tech-rich cabin which reportedly gets a 50-inch head-up display, a large infotainment touchscreen, another display for the front passenger, and a premium Devialet sound system.

 

The Fang Cheng Bao Leopard 5 is based on a ladder-frame architecture and comes fitted with the DMO (Dual Mode Off-Road) plug-in hybrid system. It comprises a 1.5-liter petrol engine and dual electric motors with a combined output of over 670 hp and 760 Nm of torque. Power is transmitted to all four wheels through a sophisticated 4WD system with three differential locks. A floor-mounted BYD Blade battery with a capacity of 30 kWh allows an EV-only CLTC driving range of 125 km and a combined range of 1,200 km if you add the 80lt petrol tank into the equation. The company also offers a high-spec variant of the Leopard 5 equipped with the Cloud-P chassis technology. This features active and height-adjustable hydraulic suspension borrowing components from the YangWang U8, albeit without the predictive features.

Fang Cheng Bao will start sales from China with 100 stores in 60 cities, although it is rumored that the company is considering exporting its vehicles to other markets as well. Besides the Leopard 5, Fang Cheng Bao also showed the Super 8 concept car that previews the production-spec Leopard 8 flagship. Finally, the smaller and not-yet-revealed Leopard 3 will serve as an entry point to the range. As reported by South China Morning Post, the pricing of the Fang Cheng Bao models is expected to be in the ¥ 400,000-600,000 range (US$ 55,000-82,000). This will make them more expensive than most BYD products but far cheaper than the YangWang lineup.