Chinese automaker BYD (Build Your Dreams) is the first to offer a production plug-in hybrid vehicle. The creatively named BYD F3DM looks like a generic Japanese sedan from the mid-’90s, but under the hood is a plug-in, gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain. Unlike current hybrids, such as the Prius, the F3DM doesn’t switch on its 50-hp, 1.0-liter gas engine until the batteries are exhausted, and a range of 60 miles on electric-only power is claimed. Its all-important battery pack, BYD says, is an evolution of lithium-ion technology, dubbed “iron battery,” which is smaller, lighter, and cheaper to manufacture than conventional lithium-ion cells. Too good to be true? BYD is one of the world’s largest makers of batteries for laptops and cell phones. Nonetheless, don’t expect the F3DM to be plugging into U.S. outlets anytime soon.