Chinese electric carmaker BYD has apologised after putting the wheels on its SUVs on backwards.
The company, which is the world’s biggest maker of electric cars, admitted an assembly mistake had caused it to fix narrower front-wheel tyres and rims to the back of some Great Tang vehicles built this year.
Likewise, wider back-wheel tyres had been put on the front of the cars.
The error was exposed by drivers who complained about the issue and raised concerns that it could lead to higher wear and tear or potential safety problems.
BYD insisted on Wednesday that the problem posed no safety risk and said the production mix-up that caused it had been fixed.
Owners have been told they can seek replacements and that their warranties will be restarted. It is not known how many vehicles are affected.
The Great Tang SUV is not yet available in Europe but is expected to be rolled out more widely next year.
In China, the seven-seater sells for 239,900 yuan (£27,000) and is seen as key to the carmaker’s ambitions to capture more of the premium market.
It has a range of 333 miles and boasts leather interiors, seats with heating and massage functions, voice control and four air conditioning “zones”, among other features.
The wheel issue followed other gaffes by the Chinese carmaker, which was also forced to recall more than 180,000 cars to resolve a defect affecting brake pedal parts last month.
That recall covered 183,211 vehicles which also included Tang cars produced from 2014 to 2022.
In another example, BYD recalled 32,000 Shark 6 cars in Australia to address spare wheels that were falling off its vehicles.
Despite these issues, the carmaker has seen UK sales rise by 80pc in the last year and it now accounts for more than one in 20 cars sold in Britain.
‘Copycat claims’
It comes as BYD is locked in a dispute with Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) over claims its Ti7 SUV is a “copycat” of the Land Rover Defender.
Bailiffs have seized documents from BYD’s Dutch offices as part of a legal battle between the British and Chinese manufacturers. JLR reportedly wishes to secure evidence that BYD had sought to copy the Defender’s design, rather than merely produce a similar-looking car.
A Dutch judge is expected to rule on Wednesday on whether the seizure of evidence on behalf of JLR was proportionate and lawful.