Arcfox Beta T1 swap edition undercuts the plug-in T1 by 16,800 CNY at 52,000

BAIC's Arcfox launched battery-swap versions of its Beta T1 small car and a lidar-equipped Beta S3 sedan on November 13, 2026, and leasing the battery puts the cheapest T1 at 52,000 CNY (c. $7,744). That is 16,800 CNY (c. $2,502) less than the cheapest plug-in Beta T1, the 450 Pro at 68,800 CNY (c. $10,245), even though the swap car has the longer rated range.

The new Beta S3 535 Ultra lidar swap edition has a guide price of 85,300 CNY (c. $12,703) and a limited-time price of 78,800 CNY (c. $11,735), 6,500 CNY (c. $968) below the guide. Arcfox says the 78,800 CNY already includes a 5,500 CNY (c. $819) trade-in subsidy and a 1,000 CNY (c. $149) Douyin coupon (pay 1,000 CNY, worth 2,000 CNY). Both cars run on the Chocolate swap network of CATL (SZSE: 300750), where a full battery exchange takes 99 seconds.

The T1 swap edition comes in two versions: the 530 Pro at 52,000 CNY and the 530 Max at 60,000 CNY (c. $8,935). Set against the longest-range plug-in T1s, the Pro sits 24,800 CNY (c. $3,693) below the 550 Pro at 76,800 CNY (c. $11,437), and the Max sits 26,800 CNY (c. $3,991) below the 550 Max at 86,800 CNY (c. $12,926). Arcfox says the plug-in prices include a 1,000 CNY first-year compulsory insurance subsidy for deposits paid through the Arcfox app by November 16, 2026.

The catch is a monthly battery fee. The family plan costs 399 CNY (c. $59) a month and covers 5,000 km (3,107 miles) of driving a month, while an unlimited-mileage plan costs 599 CNY (c. $89). Arcfox describes the 399 CNY rate as a promotion, down from 499 CNY (c. $74), and the 5,000 km allowance as an upgrade from 3,000 km (1,864 miles). At 399 CNY a month, the 16,800 CNY saving on the entry T1 covers about 42 months of fees.

Arcfox promotional rendering of the Beta T1 in green, one of seven paint colors offered on the car (Arcfox)

The T1 swap edition carries a 54 kWh CATL battery rated at 530 km (329 miles) on the CLTC cycle, the same pack used in the Beta S3 swap versions. Its 95 kW front motor comes from Hunan CRRC Times Electric Drive Technology, and top speed is 150 km/h (93 mph). The T1 first went on sale in September 2025 and joined the Beta line with a refresh on June 16, 2026, growing to 4,375 mm long on a 2,770 mm wheelbase with a 459-liter trunk.

For the S3, lidar is the upgrade. The three swap versions sold since the sedan's launch had no lidar or navigation-assisted driving, which Arcfox kept for the plug-in 660 Ultra+. The new car carries a 192-line lidar and supports navigation-assisted driving on highways and city streets plus automated parking, alongside a 15.6-inch center screen, an 8.8-inch instrument display and a Snapdragon 8155 cockpit chip. The sedan measures 4,916 mm long on a 2,876 mm wheelbase.

Arcfox's official imagery shows the S3's floating center screen, which runs on a Snapdragon 8155 chip (Arcfox)

A 159 kW motor with 250 Nm drives the front wheels to a 165 km/h (103 mph) top speed, and the 54 kWh lithium iron phosphate pack is rated at 535 km (332 miles) CLTC. Arcfox has not published a battery-included price for the lidar version. When the S3 went on sale on May 22, 2026, its swap versions listed at 104,800 to 116,800 CNY with the battery, or 64,800 to 76,800 CNY with a leased one, a 40,000 CNY (c. $5,957) difference. The plug-in 660 Ultra+ was priced at 125,800 CNY (c. $18,734), 40,500 CNY above the new swap car's guide price.

Arcfox says the Beta S3 has been the best-selling battery-electric sedan in the 100,000 CNY class for four straight months since launch, and that 7 in 10 buyers choose the swap version. S3 retail sales were 6,892 units in October, against 6,985 in September. The T1 rose to 8,347 in October from 7,025 in September.

For scale, the Arcfox brand reported 26,325 sales in October, up 12.56% from a year earlier, and 161,800 for January through October. BAIC BluePark (SHA: 600733), whose subsidiary BAIC New Energy runs Arcfox, reported 32,502 October sales for that subsidiary, up 6.42% year on year.

CATL had built more than 2,500 Chocolate stations by the end of September, covering 31 provinces and 200 cities, and Yang Jun, co-president of CATL's market division, said it plans 6,000 by 2027 across 297 cities, after about 3,000 by the end of 2026. At the launch, BAIC New Energy chairman Liu Guanqiao said the partners would eventually build 30,000 stations together, reach every city in China within two years and open 1,000 highway stations by the end of 2027. Arcfox says S3 owners have logged more than 100,000 swaps, with 99.9% of orders served without a queue.

The launch follows a partnership signed on October 22, 2026 between BAIC Group and CATL covering vehicle development, swap battery supply, the station network, a battery bank and new business models, with a goal of a million swap-capable vehicles. BAIC agreed to open its dealer network so CATL can build stations at its stores. BAIC Group chairman Zhang Jianyong said at the launch that BAIC has been researching battery swapping since 2011.

Buyers who lock an order by December 31, 2026 and join the network by January 31, 2027 get 20 free swap vouchers, which Arcfox counts as 10,000 km (6,214 miles) of driving. Existing S3 swap owners qualify, and the vouchers expire 180 days after they are claimed. Liu said swap versions will come to every Arcfox line, including the Beta, Alpha and Wendao models, and Arcfox says the whole lineup gets them next year. Whether a 399 CNY monthly fee looks better than paying 16,800 CNY more up front will decide how far that plan reaches.

Conversion rate: 1 USD = 6.7152 CNY as of November 13, 2026.