Fangchengbao, the rugged-vehicle brand under BYD, is preparing to launch the Ti 9 in China later this month, with the full-size SUV expected to start at around 239,800 yuan. The car is the flagship of the Ti line and the biggest Fangchengbao yet, and it takes direct aim at buyers who want seven-seat practicality without the rounded look of a conventional family SUV.
Photo: JustAnotherCarDesigner / Wikimedia Commons (CC0) — Illustrative: the Fangchengbao Bao 8, shown ahead of the Ti 9 launch.
Full-size dimensions, six seats
The Ti 9 measures 5,270 mm long, 1,999 mm wide and between 1,850 and 1,880 mm tall on a 3,130 mm wheelbase. Inside it runs a 2+2+2 six-seat layout rather than the seven seats most rivals use, which frees up a walk-through to the third row. The second row gets zero-gravity seats with leg rests, and the third row is heated, ventilated and massaged too, so no one sits in a penalty box.
- Body: 5,270 x 1,999 x 1,850/1,880 mm, wheelbase 3,130 mm
- Layout: six seats in a 2+2+2 arrangement
- Second row: zero-gravity seats with leg rests
- Third row: heated, ventilated and massaged
- Towing: optional electric hitch rated to 2,000 kg
Sixth-generation DM plug-in hybrid
Power comes from BYD's latest plug-in hybrid system: a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine working with front and rear electric motors for four-wheel drive, fed by a 66.48 kWh second-generation Blade battery pack. That gives 310 km of electric driving on the WLTC cycle and a combined figure of more than 1,600 km with a full tank and a full charge, which makes the Ti 9 one of the few full-size SUVs that can cross a country between stops.
Photo: JustAnotherCarDesigner / Wikimedia Commons (CC0) — Illustrative: the Fangchengbao Bao 8, shown ahead of the Ti 9 launch.
Air suspension, rear steering and lidar
The chassis uses a monocoque body rather than a ladder frame, which keeps the Ti 9 civilised on the road, and it rides on air suspension with a road-preview function that reads the surface ahead and adjusts damping before the wheels reach it. Four-wheel steering is fitted, cutting the turning circle of a car this long to something usable in a city car park. Driver assistance uses the lidar-based God's Eye B suite.
A cabin with BYD's first long screen
Inside, the most talked-about detail is the single long display spanning the dashboard, the first time BYD has used this layout. The exterior keeps the square silhouette of the Ti family with a wraparound light band, and at the back a split two-piece tailgate means the lower section can be opened on its own in a tight parking space. Order books are expected to open with the launch event later this month, with customer deliveries to follow.
For Fangchengbao the Ti 9 is the car that moves the brand from niche off-road toys into the mainstream full-size family segment. The pricing will decide how it fares against established rivals, but on paper the combination of six usable seats, a long electric range and a four-figure combined range is hard to match at this money.