Byd Bidding for Place on World Stage

Byd Auto, which is owned by one of China's biggest mobile phone battery producers, aims to become a serious player in the auto industry worldwide. The company, based in Xi'an city, says it wants to manufacture 500,000 cars a year by 2009

At Auto Shanghai, Byd showed its F3R, which looks very much like Shanghai GM's Buick Excelle HR-V (known as the Suzuki Reno here). The F3R is the hatch version of the F3 sedan, which in turn is a close copy of the locally produced Toyota Corolla.

Top-spec models will be powered by a 1.5-liter four-cylinder Mitsubishi-sourced gas engine, complete with a Delphi fuel-injection system. Basic models will get Byd's own 1.3-liter unit. Sticker price will be the equivalent of about $8,900, which will include an MP3 player, four-wheel disc brakes and other modern conveniences. Byd says it has paid special attention to safety, so there are ABS and intelligent headlamps — although no mention of airbags.

Byd currently sells the Suzuki Alto-derived Flyer subcompact in addition to the current F3. The F3R is one of a group of models in Byd's pipeline including the BMW 7-esque F6 and the F8 hardtop convertible, which looks like a result of a collision between a Mercedes-Benz CLK and a Renault Megane CC.