- The M6 is expected to compete head to head with the Buick GL8 and the Honda Odyssey.
- Pricing on the minivan is expected to range from $20,900-$36,000.
- The seven-passenger van is offered with a choice of 2.0- and 2.4-liter four-cylinder gasoline engines.
BEIJING — BYD Auto has officially launched its M6 minivan in China, where it will compete head to head with such popular models as the Buick GL8 and the Honda Odyssey.
The M6, widely criticized in the Chinese media for being a near clone of the Toyota Previa, will undercut the prices of its two leading competitors. BYD said M6 prices will start at just under $21,000 and will range up to $36,000. Both the Buick and the Honda start at more than $32,000.
The automaker, which has focused much of its energy and resources on the development of batteries and hybrid vehicles, held its official launch ceremony in Beijing. The program was attended by Warren Buffett, whose Berkshire Hathaway holds a stake of nearly 10 percent in BYD's parent company.
The seven-passenger M6 is being offered with a choice of 2.0- and 2.4-liter four-cylinder gasoline engines, as well as such features as a navigation system, remote keyless entry, DVD multimedia system and dual-zone automatic climate control.
Inside Line says: No hybrid version of the M6 has been announced yet. — Paul Lienert, Correspondent
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phoenixc says:
07:14 PM, 10/11/2010
A brief rant:
I wish we got the Previa instead of our block-faced Sienna. (Yes, it is better looking than the 2011 ODDyssey) The original Previa had a solid following, offered a Super Charged engine and 4WD for a couple years and then when Toyota launched the 1st Sienna is was down-sized in comparison resulting in crappy sales. Then along comes a bigger Sienna all the while Japan is getting stylish (for a minivan) machines that look futuristic. This above all the Chinese copying/sharing/etc. is what makes it seem like Toyota (and Honda) are in a phase of low innovation that is reaching a peak after about 10 years of shy designs, and mediocre interior materials.
juan_mx says:
12:49 PM, 10/11/2010
I wonder why some of the comments show surprise on the similarities with Toyota and other brands......Chinese brand cars are mostly clones of Japanese and Korean cars.
They modify the design to make it cheap, but this often results in very poor performance in the crash tests.
qdp says:
12:19 PM, 10/11/2010
Compared to those of Odyssey and Sienna, M6's brisky exterior design seems pretty ok.
rossofiorano says:
09:41 AM, 10/11/2010
the similarities are disturbing.
ed124c says:
08:27 AM, 10/11/2010
Hmm.... for $21K the Chinese have figured out how to eliminate the gash for the sliding rear door, something that Honda, with at least 12 years of experience with minivans, could not accomplish in the 2011 Odyssey.
This has to be somewhat embarassing for Honda. Their excuse of the higher slide rail stealing shoulder room is just lame. I certainly haven't heard of complaints about lack of shoulder room in the minivans that have had the invisible gash for years.
What has happened to Honda innovation?
dagmar3 says:
08:18 AM, 10/11/2010
The stock of BYD is up over 700% since Buffett invested in it two years ago. Strangely enough, BYD isn't close to selling cars in the US (they had openly hoped for a 2010 launch), and they are not selling many of their over-hyped EVs or hybrid cars at all.
China doesn't have the electric cars it promised just as the US does not have it's "six million new gree jobs" we were promised.
forgeryfade says:
08:01 AM, 10/11/2010
The similarities between the M6 and the Toyota Previa are so mindboggling that it's a surprise there not built on the same assembly line. BYD has an unhealthy habit of modeling their cars after Toyota models. The Toyota Corolla=(BYD F3), Aygo=(BYD FO), and now Previa=(above M6).