BYD Qin History
The flagship of BYD's Dynasty Series launch — China's best-selling PHEV sedan of the mid-2010s, named after the first Chinese imperial dynasty.
Photo: “2014 BYD Qin (pre-facelift), front 8.12.18.jpg” by Kevauto / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
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BYD launched the Dynasty Series in August 2013 with the introduction of the Qin (pronounced 'Chin'), a compact PHEV sedan and spiritual successor to the F3DM. It combined a 1.5-liter turbocharged engine with an electric motor for an all-electric range of approximately 50 km and a total range exceeding 500 km. The Qin became the best-selling plug-in electric vehicle in China in early 2014.
The second generation arrived as the Qin Pro in 2018, followed by the revised Qin Plus in 2021 — the Plus adding BYD's DM-i super-hybrid powertrain for class-leading fuel efficiency. A larger Qin L variant was introduced in 2024, bringing the nameplate into the mid-size segment. The Qin remains one of the top-selling PHEV sedans in the Chinese market.
Generations
First generation (Qin) · Qin
Photo: “2014 BYD Qin (pre-facelift), front 8.12.18.jpg” by Kevauto / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
The original PHEV compact that launched BYD's Dynasty Series; became China's best-selling plug-in in 2014.
2013 Photo: “BYD Qin (Auto Shanghai 2013).JPG” by El monty / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Cropped to 16:9.
2014 Photo: “2014 BYD Qin (pre-facelift), front 8.12.18.jpg” by Kevauto / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
2015 Photo: “2015 BYD Qin, front 8.18.18.jpg” by Kevauto / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
2016 Photo: “2016 BYD Qin (pre-facelift), front 8.18.18.jpg” by Kevauto / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
2018 Photo: “2018 BYD Qin (facelift), front 8.18.18.jpg” by Kevauto / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Second generation (Qin Pro) · Qin Pro
Photo: “BYD Qin Pro 001.jpg” by Jengtingchen / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
A redesigned Qin with updated styling and powertrain options.
Third generation (Qin Plus) · Qin Plus
Adds the DM-i super-hybrid system for best-in-class fuel efficiency; still in production.
Body styles
- Sedan
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