Is BYD really better than Toyota? Breakthrough Chinese tech to power the all-new RAV4 Hybrid and Corolla hatch to over 1000km driving range: Reports

BYD's DM-i plug-in hybrid technology looks set to power the next generation of Toyota vehicles, with Japanese media reporting that the Chinese tech will deliver total driving range in excess of 1000kms WLTP.

While reports so far have focused on the next-gen Corolla, which is expected to pair Toyota's latest engine family with the Chinese brand's plug-in hybrid technology, credible outlets suggest the tech will also find its way into the next-gen Toyota RAV4.

It's possible we've already seen the tech previewed, too, with BYD beginning the launch process for its mid-size Fang Cheng Bao 5, which uses the brand new DM-i (or Dual-Motor Intelligence) plug-in hybrid powertrain.

In this instance, the Fang Cheng Bao 5 pairs a 1.5-litre petrol engine with twin electric motors to deliver a total 500kW and 760Nm.

Critically, the plug-in hybrid will travel as far as 120kms in EV-only mode thanks to its 31.4kWh battery – essentially making the working week emissions free. Combined with the fuel tank, a total driving range in excess of 1000kms is possible.

According to BestCar, Toyota's just-revealed new engine family will provide the petrol power, with the brand whipping the covers off a 1.5-litre turbo and non-turbo engine and a bigger 2.0-litre turbocharged unit. Both target higher efficiency and better fuel economy.

But according to Chinese outlet Caijing, the brand will also adopt BYD's plug-in hybrid tech, with the site quoting a Toyota insider who said the marque will launch two or three new plug-in hybrid vehicles over the next couple of years in China, using BYD technology.

Toyota and BYD already have a joint venture partnership in China and, according to Caijing, Toyota will borrow the tech but not simply rebadge another company's cars,

"What is certain is that even if BYDs DM-i technology is adopted, Toyota will definitely carry out new polishing and tuning, and the driving experience of the final model will still be different," reported Caijing's insider.

This neatly aligns with Toyota's comments, with Australia's VP of Sales and Marketing Sean Hanley having told CarsGuide that PHEVs will have their moment in Australia.

“If you had asked me three, four, five years ago, I was reluctant, because I don't think it's a convenient technology,” Hanley said.

“However, having said that, that was under the condition that you got very little, or no, BEV (battery electric vehicle) power alone from a PHEV.

“However, battery technology evolves, and it's evolving quickly. If we can get to a situation where a PHEV has the capability of doing 200-plus kilometres on BEV alone — so in other words, if I've got a HiLux I can just go around town, I can run that on BEV and be carbon-neutral pretty well, providing I'm using renewable energy to do it.

“Now the issue is of course can it tow? Can it take a heavy load? Well, to be able to flick a switch and say, well, for those moments where I'm going out off-road or for those moments where I need to tow a heavy load, I've got the convenience of going to a normal hybrid engine and I can get 500 or 600 kilometres and it's convenient, then I see a role for PHEV in that space.

“I think that's some years away, to be honest, that battery technology. But when it comes, PHEVs will have a renewed engagement with the market because they'll go from what I call the ultimate inconvenience to the ultimate convenience.”