One of my favorite stories I've ever written involved an impromptu test drive through the Detroit Auto Show with a leader who was soon to become the richest man in China. Four shows later we recreated the drive.

Among the revelations in Fortune magazine's feature on our old friend Chairman Wang Chaun-Fu, founder and CEO of BYD Auto: he offered an American exec a glass of battery fluid. Then he drank it himself.

BYD Auto debuted their E6 full-electric crossover, reportedly capable of a 250-mile trip on just one full charge, putting it ahead of any electric car for sale or announced. We'll probably never see it.

Chinese automaker BYD introduced their BYD F3DM EREV (Extended Range Electric Vehicle) here in Detroit, a car similar to the Chevy Volt. Except the BYD hybrid's already in production. Also, it's half the price.