Automotive

BYD's roofless, no-windscreen, scissor-door supercar: Headed for production

BYD's roofless, no-windscreen, scissor-door supercar: Headed for production
The Fang Cheng Bao Super 9 is believed to be destined for production as the Bao 9
The Fang Cheng Bao Super 9 is believed to be destined for production as the Bao 9
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The Fang Cheng Bao Super 9 is believed to be destined for production as the Bao 9
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The Fang Cheng Bao Super 9 is believed to be destined for production as the Bao 9
The Bao 9 is shown for the first time, with the car's reconfigured dashboard visible on the rear screen. The aim is to put the most important information directly in front of the driver
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The Bao 9 is shown for the first time, with the car's reconfigured dashboard visible on the rear screen. The aim is to put the most important information directly in front of the driver
The Fang Cheng Bao "Super 9" is expected to be called the "Bao 9" when it reaches production
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The Fang Cheng Bao "Super 9" is expected to be called the "Bao 9" when it reaches production
The steering wheel and cockpit of the Bao 9 supercar look to be part Formula-1 and part video game, which is no doubt part of the storyline
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The steering wheel and cockpit of the Bao 9 supercar look to be part Formula-1 and part video game, which is no doubt part of the storyline
That's the Fang Cheng Bao logo above the new models being shown, pictured as a mothership
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That's the Fang Cheng Bao logo above the new models being shown, pictured as a mothership
Split cabin with futuristic control scheme
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Split cabin with futuristic control scheme
Carbon bodywork divides the cabin
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Carbon bodywork divides the cabin
View gallery - 7 images

Chinese electric auto-giant BYD has released a bold supercar concept through its premium Fang Cheng Bao brand. The Super 9 rocks no roof, the barest hint of windscreen, and lascivious scissor doors – and it's apparently headed for production.

BYD is the world’s largest EV producer. It produced 20% of the 10 million EVs sold globally last year, from Tesla (13%), Volkswagen (9%) and General Motors (6%) – those are all very rough figures for simplification purposes. For stats – go here.

It is also the dominant brand in the world’s largest and fastest growing automotive market, at a time when the global industry is starting to go through massive upheaval as it electrifies.

Henceforth, think of BYD as the likely market leader because it is already producing domestic and commercial EVs at massive scale, and it has been brand-building in China for a very long time.

In 2010, we spent time on the supercapacitor buses that circulated the ginormous Shanghai World Expo, marveling at how convincingly they pulled from the curb with the combined weight of 50 humans on board. When the Chinese Government decreed that the site emit no hydrocarbons, BYD got the job of building electric buses. They worked faultlessly.

BYD is an industrial complex of significant proportion already, purpose built to lead the way in the electrification of a country with 1.5 billion people, so it isn’t by chance that its constituent companies also build smartphones and electric monorails.

With its own massive low-car-ownership marketplace of 1.5 billion people to work with to build intelligent scaled production, it can be expected to be fielding very competitive EVs in every market category before too long.

The Bao 9 is shown for the first time, with the car's reconfigured dashboard visible on the rear screen. The aim is to put the most important information directly in front of the driver
The Bao 9 is shown for the first time, with the car's reconfigured dashboard visible on the rear screen. The aim is to put the most important information directly in front of the driver

Fang Cheng Bao and the Super 9 Concept

This Super 9 concept is another signal that China is seriously intending to go after the supercar market just as convincingly as it is moving to dominate the low-cost end of the market.

Fang Cheng Bao is a high-end brand being developed by BYD. Until this point, it has focused on electric SUVs, with the PHEV Bao 5 (Leopard 5) its only model released so far. The company has previously shown two other SUV concepts (the Leopard 3 and Leopard 8), so the showing of an open-top sports car in this Super 9 concept suggests that there might eventually be two or more lineages emerging.

One of the nuggets of information that escaped the internal conference where it was announced, is that the production version will be called the Bao 9, so apart from the inference that production is on the agenda, the name would also suggest that we may ultimately see Leopards 1-9 and Baos 1-9, and maybe more bloodlines for different purposes, technologies or...?

That's the Fang Cheng Bao logo above the new models being shown, pictured as a mothership
That's the Fang Cheng Bao logo above the new models being shown, pictured as a mothership

Unlike the PHEV Leopard 5, the Bao 9 is expected to be battery-electric.

Here’s what we know about the Super 9 concept so far. It's a two-seater with scissor doors, a dual cockpit separated by a strip of bodywork, and integrated carbon fiber seats. It's got a fighter-jet style cockpit, with a steering wheel that conjures either Formula One or an advanced video game rig, with additional buttons and controls on either side and down the center console.

Split cabin with futuristic control scheme
Split cabin with futuristic control scheme

The chassis is carbon fiber, which will keep the weight down – although it'll still run a heavy battery pack, which will affect outright handling.

Of course the main event here is the fact that there's no roof or windscreen whatsoever, and both driver and passenger will be fully exposed to the raw sensation of speed with only the tiniest hint of a glass bump in front of each seat to help direct wind up and over your head once you're moving.

Carbon bodywork divides the cabin
Carbon bodywork divides the cabin

This certainly doesn't make the Super 9 concept unique; the McLaren Elva and Aston Martin V12 Speedster having already been released with similar roofless designs. The McLaren is probably the more interesting of the bunch, since it channels a wall of air up through the hood to create a virtual windscreen that might keep your hair in better shape on the highway.

Either way, it's a bold and arresting design, and a statement concept from BYD. We're interested to see how well it makes the transition to a production model. Check out a video below.

BYD Fang Cheng Bao Super 9 Speedster!

View gallery - 7 images
8 comments
8 comments
vince
China will be the only ev manufacturer in 10 years
spyinthesky
I see they have already got round to copying the new Land Rover Defender at least visually.
TomLeeM
I think that is really cool looking. Being made in China might mean it won't be too expensive.

I think it would be really cool as a hybrid. It would - IMO - have the best of both worlds.

I hope they don't use batteries that tend to catch fire. I have seen videos of BYD electric vehicles catching fire.
Charles Butcher
Such sarcastic write up about Maclaren as having ALREADY produced a car thst hss this one's attributes EXCEPT this is chinese and more aimed at their wealth clients
Steve Jones
It's a stupid, irrelevant thing.
I am glad that it exists.
Trylon
He's gaining on you, so you'd better look alive. He's busy revving up the powerful, uh... Super 9? Go, Speed Racer, go!
Adrian Akau
The chances of survival would be poor in a high speed accident.
ReservoirPup
Pure art and zero practicality