This is the Fangcheng Bao Bao 5, a cool Chinese SUV with a PHEV powertrain and all-wheel drive. I met this Huyang Gold example on the streets of the Chinese capital Beijing, right after a refreshing summer’s rain.
Fangcheng Bao is a high-end SUV brand owned by BYD. There is no English name yet. The name in Chinese is 方程豹, Fāngchéng Bào, best translated as Formula Leopard. The car names begin with the last character of the brand name, so for the Bao 5, we have: 方程豹 豹5.
That is a bit odd, even by Chinese standards. Like BMW W5, or Audi Di6. There has been a lot of talk about this on Chinese social media, and it appears that BYD has listened. The upcoming small SUV will be called Fangcheng Bao Tai 3, instead of Fangcheng Bao Bao 3.
The Fangcheng Bao logo. The Bao 5 has a cool design, with a square shape and short front- and rear overhangs. The design mixes modern with retro influences.
The interior combines old-school with modern. It has a 3-screen setup, with a 12.3-inch driver’s display and a 15.6-inch touch screen. There is a line of buttons under the screen and even more buttons and switches on the center tunnel, just like it was in 2012 instead of 2024. The drive selector is located on the center tunnel too.
The Bao 5 is a five-seat car, with loads of space on the second row.
The Fangcheng Bao Bao 5 is based on BYD’s DMO (dual-motor off-road) body-on-frame PHEV platform with two electric motors. The platform combines a 1.5-turbo ICE with two electric motors, mated to an E-CVT gearbox. The combined output is 485 kW and 760 Nm. The top speed is 180 km/h and 0-100 takes 4.8 seconds.
BYD is famous because it puts the 0-100 time on a logo on the car. BYD started this with the super-powerful Tang PHEV. However, BYD only does this with the speedy cars, not with the slower ones, so we won’t see an 11.5-badge or the like.
The Bao 5 is seriously capable off-road. It is a four-wheel drive car with three differential locks. The approach angle is 39 degrees, the departure angle is 35 degrees, and the maximum gradient is 100%.
The Bao 5 can be equipped with an optional tow hook. The combined range of the Bao 5 is an impressive 1200 kilometers and the EV range is 125 kilometers. The Bao 5 gets there with an 83-liter fuel tank and a 31.8 kWh BYD Blade LFP battery.
The Fangcheng Bao 5 costs $31K for the base model and $41K for the top-trim spec. In any way, that’s a good deal for a car with so much tech, horsepower, and style.