BYD Apologizes After Some Great Tang SUVs Were Fitted With the Wrong Wheel Rims

BYD has apologized after a supplier coding error left some owners of its Great Tang, or Da Tang, flagship SUV with the wrong front and rear wheel rims, Electrek reported. The company said the mix-up does not affect handling or pose a safety risk while driving, and that owners can take affected vehicles to a local service center for a free inspection and professional rim replacement. It is also offering a replacement vehicle or compensation for transportation expenses, and said the warranty on affected Great Tang vehicles will be restarted immediately. Newly built vehicles will not be affected, BYD said, after the supplier added a visual error-prevention system.

The Great Tang is the first flagship D-segment SUV in BYD's Dynasty series and is already on sale in China, a different model from the third-generation Tang that has only just opened pre-orders. After preorders opened at the Beijing Auto Show in April, BYD said the high-end SUV secured more than 30,000 preorders in 24 hours and more than 100,000 two weeks later. By the time it went on sale in mid-June, more than 150,000 buyers had preordered it, a record for a single BYD model. It has been the top-selling pure-electric large SUV for two months, with more than 10,000 sold since launch, Electrek reported, when the November 11 apology was issued after owners complained that wheels were improperly installed.

The cheapest Premium electric variant starts at 239,900 yuan, or about $35,500. All versions use second-generation Blade Batteries. The base Premium model has a 105.79 kWh pack; the Flagship EV uses a 130.15 kWh battery that BYD rates at up to 590 miles, or 950 kilometers, on the CLTC cycle, and starts at 269,900 yuan, or about $40,000. The vehicle measures 5,263 millimeters long, 1,999 mm wide and 1,800 mm high, with a 3,130 mm wheelbase, larger than a Hyundai IONIQ 9 or Kia EV9 and closer to a Li Auto L9. On a 1,000-volt architecture with Flash Charging, BYD says it can charge from 10% to 70% in five minutes, or from 10% to 97% in nine minutes. Stella Li, an executive vice president, has said the flagship SUV is due on sale in Europe and other overseas markets by the end of 2026 or early 2027. It is also offered as a plug-in hybrid in China.

The verified news is an apology, a supplier coding error, a free rim-replacement remedy and a warranty restart, with BYD stating there is no driving safety risk. It is not a recall for a crash defect, and it is not a problem with the separately pre-ordered third-generation Tang.