BYD creates new Lingui marque for robotaxi fleets

BYD has established a sub-brand referred to as Linghui which particularly targets China’s ride-hailing market, submitting 4 fashions with the Ministry of Business and Data Know-how on 8 January. The fashions Linghui e5, e7, e9 and M9 every bear a definite new emblem, though the electrical automobile maker has not formally introduced the model to media retailers.

All 4 autos seem like rebadged variations of current BYD fashions tailored for autonomous mobility operations. The Linghui e9 is predicated on the Han sedan, whereas the e7 derives from the Sealion 06 EV, the e5 from the Qin Plus EV, and the M9 from the Xia multi-purpose automobile with dimensions.

This isn’t BYD’s first foray into autonomous mobility. The automaker presently serves the robotaxi section by way of e-series fashions positioned below its industrial automobile division. Amongst these are the e7 electrical sedan launched in Might 2025, which startins at CN¥103,800 (US$14,400). Certainly, BYD already affords a spread of reasonably priced fashions which have turn into most well-liked decisions for ride-hailing operators because of operational effectivity. Nonetheless, its rising affiliation with ride-hailing and the reasonably priced finish of the market may negatively impression model notion because it explores luxurious markets by way of its Yangwang and Denza divisions.

The unbiased Linghui sub-brand addresses this picture problem by separating fleet operations from consumer-facing manufacturers. Apparently an completely B2B marque, it’s the fifth below the BYD Auto umbrella alongside luxurious manufacturers Denza and Yangwang, the off-road-focused Fangchengbao, the marine-themed Ocean sequence focusing on youthful patrons, and naturally the titular BYD.

A rebadging technique is a low-cost technique to obtain model differentiation, but it surely stays to be seen what distinguishes the autos on the {hardware} stage. Whether or not they use the identical sensor methods because the God’s Eye know-how already in current-generation BYD vehicles—or whether or not they have improved sturdiness or security options—are presently unclear. It does, nevertheless, point out that robotaxi gross sales are anticipated to turn into a good portion of the automaker’s enterprise within the coming years.

BYD joins an more and more crowded area of Chinese language automakers attempting to carve out a bit of the still-nascent robotaxi trade. Many are pursuing their ambitions by way of partnerships: for instance, Geely’s collaborations with Waymo and Pony.ai, or GAC’s three way partnership with Didi. Xpeng is following within the footsteps of US counterpart Tesla by deploying digicam vision-only robotaxis based mostly on AI know-how developed in-house. BYD, for its half, has invested in LiDAR provider Robosense, however is creating its personal proprietary autonomous driving options.