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BYD, the world's biggest electric vehicle maker by sales, will
recall 52,928 of the best-selling plug-in hybrid model produced
between April 5, 2021 and April 18, 2022, a statement by the
State Administration for Market Regulation said on Friday.
BYD did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In April, the regulator announced a recall of 9,663 Tang DM-i
cars saying a defect in the battery pack could cause fires.
Two BYD customers told Reuters in June that they and others
questioned why BYD had instructed dealers to replace batteries
in cars which were not subject to the recall and urged
regulators to expand the April recall.
The issues centre on the Tang DM-i plug-in hybrid sport utility
vehicle (SUV) launched in April 2021 and priced around 200,000
yuan ($29,839.61). Tang DM is BYD's best-selling premium series,
with September-May sales exceeding 60,000 vehicles.
For all new-energy vehicle makers, fires constitute a persistent
problem. In the past six months alone, more than a dozen videos
have been posted on social media showing BYD EVs on fire.
Plug-in hybrids - powered by a combination of batteries and
combustion engines - make up half of BYD's passenger vehicle
sales, with sales increasing nearly five times in the first half
versus the same period a year earlier.
(Reporting by Zhang Yan, Brenda Goh; editing by Jason Neely and
Jane Merriman)
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