Back in May of 2010, Leftlane reported that Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler had formed a joint venture with Chinese automaker BYD to produce all-new electric vehicles for sale on the Chinese market. Now, leaked renderings have revealed what looks to be the first fruit of the companies’ partnership.
“All-new” might be something of an overstatement in regard to the car rendered above (leaked from Chinese-language website Sohu), which bears more than a passing resemblance to the the new Mercedes B-Class.
BYD and Daimler have said little about the car besides the fact that it will use the Chinese company’s lithium-ion battery technology, motors and other propulsion systems to power the vehicle. However, two sources close to the joint venture have told the Wall Street Journal that all other aspects of the vehicle will indeed be German-designed and based on the underpinnings of the B-Class.
The sources also confirmed the authenticity of the images, saying that they represented the work of the joint design team stationed at BYD’s headquarters in the southern China city of Shenzhen.
“It’s very disturbing how these renderings keep leaking out,†one of the sources said, evidently unsettled by the situation. “By the time the car comes out, it won’t be new.â€
A spokesperson from BYD has stated that the EV should be fully developed by the end of 2012 and available to Chinese consumers sometime in 2013. The car will not be sold outside of China.
BYD is partially owned by Mid American Energy Holdings Company, a division of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
