Named Tang, the SUV forms part of the company’s ongoing Green Mobility strategy aimed at reducing the environmental impact of its electric, hybrid and conventionally-powered models.

It also meets the requirements of BYD’s new 5-4-2 initiative, which requires a car to reach 62mph in less than five seconds, offer four-wheel drive and use less than two litres of fuel per 100km (141.2mpg).

The Tang uses electric motors at each axle to offer fully electric full-time four-wheel drive, and a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine for additional range and power. BYD says the drivetrain allows the car to reach 62mph in 4.9 seconds, and to offer fuel economy above the initiative’s benchmark.

BYD chariman, Wang Chuanfu, said: ‘This is not just a dream. In the electronic era, we can do things we couldn’t do in the mechanical eras.’

The company has yet to confirm whether the Tang will be brought to Europe, but the high performance plug-in hybrid Qin will launch in the region early next year. A super-hybrid, featuring four in-wheel motors, will launch in 2016.