China’s intellectual property regulator has granted BYD a design patent for a two-door microcar, publishing grant number CN 310308323 S on Tuesday, November 10, 2026. The approval reveals a rounded, compact body featuring one large door on each side, short front and rear overhangs, and wheels positioned close to the corners.
BYD originally submitted application 202530748612.8 on December 18, 2025. The filing lists five designers, including global design director Wolfgang Josef Egger, but withholds powertrain specifications, exterior dimensions, seating capacity and commercial production plans.
Official documents identify the model as a vehicle intended for passenger transportation, highlighting its silhouette as the primary protected asset. By securing rights to this ultra-compact shape, the automaker creates a potential competitor to the Smart #2, which the Mercedes-Benz and Geely Auto joint venture launched in China with promotional pricing starting at 99,900 yuan ($14,880).
Drawings released by the China National Intellectual Property Administration show identical horizontal lighting bands across the nose and tail. Underneath those light bars, curving bumper contours form a distinct lower profile. The design breaks completely from the angular exterior used on the Seagull, which has served as the baseline budget model across BYD dealership networks in mainland China.
The patent images show flush glazing, tight approach angles, and a steeply raked windscreen designed to maximise interior cabin room over a shortened floorpan. Regulators approved the registration purely on aesthetic shape characteristics. Because the agency evaluates form rather than mechanical layout, the registry entry provides no confirmation on whether the platform relies on pure battery propulsion or enters assembly lines unchanged.
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