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BYD Tang SUV Is Coming to Europe

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The European electric SUV battlefield is about to get even more crowded, and BYD appears determined to arrive with one of its biggest weapons yet.

The Chinese automotive giant plans to launch its all-electric Great Tang SUV in Europe before the end of 2026 or in early 2027, according to Stella Li, BYD’s executive vice president and the architect of much of the company’s global expansion strategy. If the domestic response in China is any indication, European brands may soon find themselves facing another formidable challenger from the world’s largest EV manufacturer.

And this isn’t just another electric crossover.

The Great Tang is a full-size, seven-seat SUV positioned squarely in one of the most lucrative segments of the market. In China, the model has become an instant success story, collecting more than 150,000 orders since its debut at the Beijing Auto Show in April. According to Li, 100,000 of those reservations arrived within the first two weeks of pre-sales alone—numbers that would make even the most established global automakers envious.

For BYD, the timing couldn’t be better.

The company has spent the past several years establishing itself in Europe with smaller battery-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. The arrival of the Great Tang would add a larger, family-oriented flagship to its lineup, broadening its appeal beyond budget-conscious EV buyers and placing it directly in the territory traditionally occupied by brands such as Mercedes-Benz, Kia, and Volvo.

At roughly $35,500 in its home market, the Great Tang represents exactly the kind of value proposition that has helped Chinese manufacturers gain traction globally. European pricing will almost certainly be higher once tariffs, taxes, and localization costs are factored in, but the formula remains familiar: generous equipment, advanced technology, and aggressive pricing.

More importantly, BYD appears to have the hardware to back up the sales pitch.

Analysts at Deutsche Bank point to the company’s Blade Battery technology and fast-charging capabilities as key advantages over competitors in China. Those technologies have become central to BYD’s rise from battery supplier to automotive powerhouse, helping the company challenge rivals not only on price but increasingly on engineering credibility.

The Great Tang’s success also reflects a broader shift occurring across the global automotive industry. Chinese manufacturers are no longer content to dominate their domestic market. As competition intensifies at home and profit margins tighten, companies like BYD are accelerating their push into overseas markets—particularly Europe, where demand for affordable electric vehicles remains strong.

The strategy appears to be working.

BYD accounted for approximately 15 percent of Europe’s electric vehicle sales and nearly 10 percent of total Chinese-brand vehicle sales in the region during April. At the same time, many European manufacturers continue to struggle in China, where domestic brands have rapidly improved quality, technology, and brand perception.

To support its ambitions, BYD is investing heavily in Europe. Its new Hungarian factory is increasing production of both vehicles and components, while the company continues evaluating a second manufacturing site somewhere on the continent. The automaker is also expanding its European research and development operations, with future work expected to include autonomous-driving systems and advanced data-processing technologies.

In other words, BYD isn’t approaching Europe as an export market anymore. It’s building the foundations of a long-term industrial presence.

Whether the Great Tang can replicate its Chinese success remains to be seen. European buyers can be notoriously loyal to established brands, particularly in the premium SUV segment. But the market has already shown a growing willingness to consider alternatives when the technology, range, and price are compelling enough.

If BYD delivers the same combination of practicality, charging performance, and value that fueled the Great Tang’s explosive debut in China, Europe’s traditional SUV players may soon discover that their newest rival isn’t coming from Stuttgart, Gothenburg, or Seoul.

It’s coming from Shenzhen.

Source: Autocar

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CAV GT MkII Is the GT40 Reimagined for the 21st Century

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The original Ford GT40 wasn’t built to be civilized. It was engineered for one purpose: crushing Ferrari at Le Mans. More than half a century later, South African manufacturer Cape Advanced Vehicles believes that legendary formula deserves another chapter—not as a museum-piece replica, but as a thoroughly modern supercar.

Meet the CAV GT MkII.

Built in Cape Town by a company that has spent decades crafting GT40-inspired machines, the new GT MkII moves beyond the realm of tribute cars. CAV describes it as a spiritual successor to Ford’s endurance-racing icon, and the spec sheet backs up that ambitious claim. While the silhouette remains unmistakably GT40, nearly everything beneath the skin has been reimagined for the modern era.

At first glance, the GT MkII wears its heritage proudly. The low nose, muscular rear haunches, and mid-engine proportions immediately recall the car that conquered Le Mans in the 1960s. Look closer, however, and the details reveal a far more contemporary machine. Sharper LED lighting gives the front end a more aggressive expression, while the rear bodywork is cleaner and more sculpted than anything seen on the original racer.

The biggest visual difference is one that owners will appreciate every time they climb aboard. Unlike the famously cramped GT40—which earned its name from its 40-inch overall height—the GT MkII has grown taller. That extra space translates into a more usable cabin, additional cargo capacity, and swan-wing doors that improve entry and exit without requiring the roof-cutting door design of the original car.

Beneath the carbon-fiber bodywork sits an aluminum-and-carbon structure that helps keep weight to around 3,240 pounds (1,470 kilograms). Nestled behind the occupants is where things get truly interesting.

Power comes from a 4.2-liter V8 fitted with not one but two superchargers. The result is more than 800 horsepower and a towering 679 pound-feet (920 Nm) of torque. More impressive still is the claimed 9,000-rpm redline, placing the engine’s character closer to an exotic race-bred powerplant than a traditional American V8.

Performance figures are predictably outrageous. CAV claims the GT MkII can sprint from 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in just 3.0 seconds before pushing beyond 203 mph (327 km/h).

Sending all that power to the pavement is a standard six-speed single-clutch semi-automatic transmission. While that setup may sound old-school in today’s dual-clutch world, CAV plans to offer a modern dual-clutch option in the future. More importantly for purists, a manual gearbox is also in development—a rarity in a segment increasingly dominated by paddle shifters.

The hardware underneath appears just as serious as the powertrain. KW Variant 4 three-way adjustable dampers provide extensive chassis tuning capability, while Brembo brakes with eight-piston front and four-piston rear calipers handle stopping duties. Buyers seeking maximum track performance can opt for carbon-ceramic brake discs. Completing the package is an Inconel exhaust system with active valves, ensuring the soundtrack matches the visual drama.

The CAV GT MkII occupies a fascinating niche in today’s performance-car landscape. It isn’t a continuation car, nor is it a retro replica chasing nostalgia. Instead, it takes one of motorsport’s most celebrated shapes and infuses it with modern materials, modern technology, all-wheel-drive traction, and supercar-rivaling performance.

If the original GT40 was designed to win endurance races, the GT MkII appears designed to answer a different question: What would a GT40 look like if it had never stopped evolving?

Source: Cape Advanced Vehicles

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Gordon Murray’s 772-HP T.50s Niki Lauda Is Ready for Goodwood

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The next chapter in Gordon Murray Automotive’s pursuit of automotive perfection is about to make its public debut, and it’s every bit as uncompromising as you’d expect.

At this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, Gordon Murray himself will take the wheel of the very first customer-bound T.50s Niki Lauda, piloting chassis number one up the famous hillclimb. While the road-going T.50 has already earned a reputation as a modern masterpiece, the track-only T.50s pushes Murray’s philosophy to its absolute limits.

Finished in white with a striking livery inspired by the South African flag, the first customer car pays homage to Murray’s first Formula 1 victory, achieved at the 1974 South African Grand Prix. A bold stripe running down the bonnet and colorful accents on the aerodynamic fins provide a subtle but meaningful nod to the designer’s roots and racing heritage.

Underneath the lightweight bodywork sits an evolved version of the T.50’s naturally aspirated 3.9-liter Cosworth V-12. For T.50s duty, output climbs to 772 horsepower delivered at a spine-tingling 11,500 rpm. Unlike the manual-equipped road car, the track-focused machine channels its power through a six-speed paddle-shift transmission engineered for maximum performance.

The centerpiece of the T.50s remains its driver-focused layout. As with the standard T.50, the driver sits in the middle of the cockpit, Formula 1-style. Surrounding that central seat is an aerodynamic package that transforms the car’s behavior on a racetrack. Adjustable aero elements work together to generate up to 2,645 pounds (1,200 kilograms) of downforce, giving the T.50s the kind of grip normally associated with modern prototype race cars.

Exclusivity, of course, is part of the appeal. Gordon Murray Automotive will build just 25 examples of the T.50s Niki Lauda, and every single one has already found a buyer. With prices starting at around $3 million, admission to this ultra-exclusive club doesn’t come cheap.

The T.50s won’t be the only attraction on the Gordon Murray stand at Goodwood. The company is bringing an impressive lineup that showcases both its present and future ambitions.

Making its European debut is the S1 LM design model, a machine that hints at Murray’s continued exploration of lightweight, driver-focused performance. Joining it will be the Le Mans GTR XP1 prototype, a development car that previews a limited-production run of just 24 customer vehicles inspired by endurance racing. Rounding out the display is the T.33 Spider validation prototype, known internally as VP12, offering a glimpse at the next phase of the company’s expanding lineup.

According to Executive Chairman Gordon Murray, production of the T.50s is already underway, while development of both the T.33 and T.33 Spider is progressing rapidly. More intriguing still is Murray’s suggestion that the company is working on an increasingly specialized family of vehicles designed to push the boundaries of his long-held engineering philosophy.

If the T.50 rewrote the modern supercar rulebook, the T.50s Niki Lauda looks set to tear out a few more pages. And with Gordon Murray driving the first customer car up the Goodwood hill himself, there’s no better stage for the latest expression of one of the automotive world’s most relentless perfectionists.

Source: Autocar

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