In May, a new mid-size car, codenamed 6B, started to roll off the line at BYD’s Changsha factory. Featuring a 1.5T engine mated to a dual-clutch transmission, the most advanced powertrain from BYD, the 6B is generally considered the second-gen F6. This week a group of photos from an unknown source appeared online, revealing the sedan carrying a new plate: "Sirui."
A new naming pattern for BYD cars seems to emerge, as "Sirui" is the second model–after "Surui," released in August–departing from the letter-plus-number convention and designated by the character "Rui."
Bigger than both the F6 and G6, Sirui has a 2755mm wheelbase and is 4870mm long, 1830mm wide, and 1460mm high. It gets only one powertrain option, the 1.5T/6-speed DCT pair, which it shares with Surui and G6. The turbo 1.5 liter has a maximum power output of 113kW, close to that of the Mitsubishi 2.4 (4G69) provided for the F6.
Sirui also sports BYD’s "i" technology, an internet-based system that can, reportedly, accomplish the following tasks: vehicle safety diagnosis; emergency calling; web surfing; news and info displaying/reading; music downloading and playing; remote vehicle control through a smart phone app (to un/lock doors, turn on/off A.C., and move the vehicle in certain low-speed ways). Communication with the system can be partly done through a voice-recognition device, called the "i-robot," on top of the dashboard (shown below.)
Sirui is expected to hit showrooms in the first half of 2013 and sell for about 100,000 Yuan (US$16,000).
