From BYD, we have seen the launch of hatchbacks, shooting brakes (waggons), SUVs and sedans under the Ocean series, but there’s no MPV in the lineup; sooner or later it won’t remain the same, as the Chinese carmaker has officially confirmed that the first multi-purpose vehicle in the Ocean family will make its debut in the domestic market by late 2026, whose nameplate is still undisclosed.
The general manager of BYD’s Ocean lineup sales division, Zhang Zhuo, found talking about the launch of the MPV in an interview shared online on Weibo by the blogger 向北不断电. In an interview video he didn’t reveal the name of the actual date but hinted about its debut by the end of this year. Notably, he didn’t even mention if the upcoming MPV from BYD would be based on the Ocean-V concept.
Built Your Dreams showcases the Ocean-V concept, a concept vehicle from the brand’s Ocean lineup, unveiled at the Beijing Auto Show on April 24, 2026. We are expecting that the upcoming MPV will resemble this concept version, which gets vertically orientated front-end lighting similar to that which integrates daylight running lights and headlamps.
Other features that we get on this concept MPV under the Ocean family are a closed-off body-coloured front grill, a silver skid plate on the front bumper, rugged bumper cladding bracketing the large alloy wheels that wear all-terrain tyres, a coach door without any B-pillar, frameless windows, a full-width LED taillight on the tailgate, vertical-shaped taillamps just above the rear bumper, and a roof-integrated spoiler at the rear.
Two more things that are clearly visible from the side are A-pillar-mounted cameras instead of ORVMs and flush-type door handles; it is certain that they won’t be in the production model, because the Chinese government has already put a ban on hidden door handles on all the cars from 2027, and having a traditional outside rear-view mirror with whether it integrates a camera or a blinker is mandatory for compliance to sell vehicles in China.
The concept interior shows 7 seats in a 2-3-2 layout, a squared-off steering wheel with two spokes, a full-time panoramic display on the windscreen base, and a horizontally orientated floating touchscreen infotainment system. As of now, BYD is selling three MPVs in the Chinese market, which are the Denza D9 under BYD’s Denza sub-brand, the BYD Xia under BYD’s Dynasty family, and the Linghui M9 under BYD’s Linghui subsidiary.
Of the three MPVs, the most recently launched model is the Linghui M9. It is available for sale with a plug-in hybrid electric powertrain. It cost between 188,800 and 199,800 yuan, which translates to 28,100 to 29,700 USD. It has a seating capacity of 7 people in a 2-3-2 layout; its shape, length, width, and height are 5,200 mm, 1,970 mm, and 1,805 mm, respectively, with a 3,045 mm wheelbase.
Under the hood, it gets a 115 kW 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol-powered internal combustion engine and a 200 kW permanent magnet synchronous motor; they are mated with a dedicated hybrid transmission. A 36.6 kWh lithium-ion battery pack is available beneath the floor, giving the pure-electric range of 160 km on CLTC, but the combined range is 1105 km on the same condition.
Details regarding the powertrain for the upcoming BYD Ocean family MPV are still pending. We expect it to come as an all-wheel-drive pure electric, getting a PMSM on the rear axle with a single-speed automatic transmission and an induction motor on the front axle. The upcoming MPV will be positioned to market as a lifestyle seven-seater car with long range, fast charging and smart technology.
Image Source: CNEVPOST