It has already sold 19,000,000 cars: BYD is now targeting the iconic Smart and will launch its own affordable microcity car

10/11/2026 17:30

Updated to

10/11/2026 17:32

BYD is going all out with a clear goal: to overtake Toyota as the world’s top automaker by 2031. And although Toyota has just put it in its place by achieving record sales and profits, the Chinese manufacturer has responded with a historic milestone: reaching 19,000,000 cars manufactured and sold.

Even though not against Toyota, BYD also made a significant move by producing its first model among Japan’s best-selling cars: the electric kei car BYD Racco. Now, its goal seems to be nothing less than the legendary Smart — BYD has patented a design for its own two-seater electric microcity car that could hit the market in the coming years... and is very likely to be much cheaper than the current electric Smart #2, which is only 2.75 meters long.

After dominating the Japanese market, BYD now plans to introduce its own affordable Smart model.

While Smart has just launched the new version in Europe of its most iconic – and electric – car, the #2 model; BYD submitted a patent for its own Smart concept almost a year ago, specifically last December.

But it is now that CNIPA, China’s National Intellectual Property Administration, has made public the patent for BYD and its own Smart. Under Application No. 202530748612.8, the Chinese manufacturer registered the concept of its own two-seater electric microcity vehicle months ago. If produced in series, it should be much cheaper than the current electric Smart #2, whose price in Spain is already known.

Now, let’s be clear: although 19,000,000 cars have already been sold, BYD has so far only filed a patent for what would be its own two-seater electric microcity car, its “affordable Smart,” if you will. And while it has approached this project with great care—after all, its design was created by none other than Wolfgang Egger, former head of design at Audi and current design director at BYD—this doesn’t mean it will actually manufacture it. At least, there is no official confirmation yet.

It’s not just that BYD hasn’t confirmed whether it will produce its own electric Smart. There is not even any information—or mere rumors—about the dimensions, mechanics, or range of this future BYD microcity car.

An electric microurban vehicle that should be very similar to the original Smart

Given its design similarity to the Smart, its mechanical components are likely to be similar as well. The new electric Smart #2 is 2.746 meters long and features an 82 HP engine paired with a 35.8 kWh battery, providing a range of 290 km in Europe—up to 410 km in China according to its CLTC testing cycle.

Under these circumstances, BYD’s new “affordable Chinese smart car” could arrive in the coming years, featuring a design similar to that of the German-made microcity vehicle and comparable capabilities; highly focused on urban use but also sufficient for intercity trips or even short excursions.