BYD shows 1,000hp Formula EV

BYD didn’t just bring another concept to the Beijing auto show. It used Fang Cheng Bao — the BYD sub-brand that had mostly been about chunky off-roaders — to announce a whole new car family. The shift is simple but important: BYD now wants the same group that buys rugged SUVs to also see it as a maker of fast, low, expensive electric performance cars. And this time the company showed more than one poster car — it showed a lineup. (byd.com) ### What actually debuted? Four cars. Three are part of the new Formula S sedan family: the Formula S sedan, the Formula S GT shooting brake, and the larger Formula SL sedan. The fourth is the FORMULA X sports car concept, which BYD says is headed for production next year or, in other show coverage, 2027 — basically meaning it’s meant to be real, not just a design exercise. (autohome.com.cn) ### Why is the Formula SL the attention magnet? Because it’s the spec-sheet bomb. Multiple show reports describe the Formula SL as a tri-motor, all-wheel-drive EV with about 1,000 horsepower. That puts it directly into the same conversation as the fastest electric sedans from Tesla, Porsche, and Lucid — not on brand prestige yet, but on brute-force output. (msn. ([autohome.com.cn)sl-amid-surging-global-ev-demand/gm-GM4A75FFD7)) ### Is this just one super sedan? No — that’s the interesting part. The S family is being pitched as a shape-flexible architecture, not one body style. BYD showed a regular sedan, a shooting brake, and a longer, more elegant sedan, all with roughly the same giant footprint — over 5 meters long, a 3-meter wheel(msn.com). (autohome.com.cn) ### What’s the deal with Formula X? Formula X is the halo piece. It’s a full carbon-body sports car concept with 19 air outlets, an active rear wing, dramatic aero, and a design BYD says is more than 80% faithful to the eventual production car. That “80%” claim matters — it’s the company signaling that the wild show car is supposed to turn into something customers can actually buy. (ithome.com) ### Why does charging matter here? Because BYD’s bigger EV story is no longer just batteries or low prices. In March 2025, it launched the Super e-Platform with 1 megawatt charging, a 30,000 rpm motor, and a claim of 5 minutes for 400 km of range on compatible cars. Even if the Formula models don’t all ship with every one of those exact numbers, the point is clear — BYD wants “very f(ithome.com)rare exceptions. (byd.com) ### Why put this under Fang Cheng Bao? Because Fang Cheng Bao needed a second identity. BYD created the brand in 2023 as a more personalized, niche sub-brand spanning off-road vehicles to sports cars. Until now, the public face leaned heavily toward SUVs. The Formula launch fills in the missing half of the promise and gives BYD another way to segment its empire without stuffing every ambitious product under the main BYD badge. (byd.com) ### Is BYD chasing prestige now? Yes — but in a very BYD way. European brands usually build prestige from history first and scale later. BYD is trying the reverse. It already has manufacturing scale, battery vertical integration, and cost control. Now it’s layering on halo products to prove it can do desire, not just volume. The Formula cars are basically rolling proof points for that argument. (byd.com) ### Bottom line? The Beijing reveal wasn’t really about one 1,000-hp sedan. It was about BYD showing that its performance tech, charging stack, and design ambition are no longer confined to one exotic badge. If the Formula S cars reach market on schedule in the third quarter and Formula X f(byd.com)V category looks like. (autohome.com.cn)