Here’s a BYD F0, seen in Beijing in the spring of 2018. The small hatchback was in fine shape for its age, painted in Delan Black and fitted with BYD’s original wheel covers. BYD produced the F0 from 2008 until 2015, with a facelift in 2014. The car in the photos is a pre-facelift model. The BYD F0 is largely forgotten today, so let’s bring it back into the spotlight.
BYD in 2008
In 2008, BYD was still a small and relatively unknown car maker, but it was growing fast. In that year, BYD sold 170,880 vehicles, up 68.8% compared to 2007. BYD sold only 3 cars in 2008: the BYD F3 sedan and hatchback, heavily inspired by the 9th-gen Toyota Corolla; the BYD F6, a clone of the Honda Accord; and the BYD F0. Today, 18 years later, the BYD brand sells a massive 36 models in China. It no longer relies on foreign design. Instead, it has set up its own design department, which comes up with ever-better-looking new vehicles in every segment of the Chinese car market.
The BYD F0
The BYD F0 was the successor to the BYD Flyer, which was BYD’s first-ever car. The F0 debuted in late 2007 at the Guangzhou Auto Show under the “F1” nameplate. However, in 2008, it was rebranded to “F0” to avoid copyright disputes with the Formula One (F1) racing championship series. The F0’s design sparked a lot of controversy in China and abroad. It wasn’t a “design”, really. BYD simply cloned the first-generation Toyota Aygo. Chinese brands were really good at cloning at that time, and the F0-Aygo is no exception. The overall design is nearly identical; BYD only changed the lights and the badges.
A dog peed on the rear wheel.
The best clones are not only similar in looks, but similar in size as well. Let’s have a look:
BYD F0: 3460/1618/1465, 234o.
Toyota Aygo: 3405/1615/1465, 2340.
The height and wheelbase are the same, not a millimeter apart. That is proper cloning indeed!
The interior
It was quite rare for Chinese car makers to copy the dashboard as well. Normally, the Chinese would simply use a cheaper locally designed dash. But BYD went all-in with the F0 and took the Aygo’s dashboard as well. It wasn’t a complete clone; there are some differences in the center stack, but the overall look is the same. Standard equipment included an AM/FM radio tuner and an AUX port for MP3 players, and front power windows. At the rear, it had pop-out vent windows.
That is so just-cool! A period aftermarket BYD F0-themed seat cover!
Specifications of the BYD F0
The BYD F0 was a front-wheel-drive vehicle, powered by a gasoline engine. BYD offered only one engine: a 1.0-liter 3-pot with 68 hp and 90 Nm, mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. There was no automatic option. BYD claimed a 151 km/h top speed and a 0-100 in 15 seconds. The fuel consumption was 4.2 liters per 100 km. That was pretty good at the time, and the F0 was helped by its modest 870-kg curb weight and its tiny 165/60 R14 tires.
Price of the BYD F0
In 2008, the BYD F0 was one of China’s cheapest cars. The base model sold for 40.900 yuan and the top-spec car for 46.900 yuan; that’s $5.890 and 6.75o in 2008 exchange rates. The BYD F0’s main competitors were the Changan BenBen, the Chery QQ3, and the Geely Panda.
The F0 was quite a successful car for BYD, with a total of 533,594 units sold throughout its production run. It was a major financial success and helped establish BYD as a credible manufacturer of affordable cars in China. Amazingly, BYD didn’t directly launch a successor to the F0, as the brand focused on slightly larger vehicles. However, BYD didn’t dismantle the production line. In 2019, BYD launched the fully electric BYD E1, essentially a modernized F0 with an electric powertrain. It was created primarily as a rapid “stop-gap” model to enter the low-cost micro-EV market. The E1 continued until 2020. Its spiritual successor is the BYD Seagull, which launched in 2023.
