BYD has received a design patent for a compact two-door car that resembles the Smart Fortwo. The new model's look was developed by the team of the company's chief designer Wolfgang Egger, who previously headed design at Audi Group, reports CarNewsChina.
Judging by the patent images, the microcar has a rounded body, short overhangs and wheels pushed as far as possible to its corners. Instead of a traditional radiator grille, a wide horizontal light bar is fitted at the front. The lighting elements and the curves of the body panels create an unusual "smiling" effect at the front and rear.
Large doors take up a significant part of the sides, while the low ground clearance underlines the car's urban purpose.
There are no technical details yet: BYD has not disclosed the dimensions, number of seats, powertrain or range, and has not confirmed plans for series production.
If the project does reach production, it could become a new BYD offering in the ultra-compact city car segment. At present, the brand's smallest model in China remains the Seagull hatchback, which grew larger after its generational change.
