BYD luxury vehicle sub-brand YangWang has launched its second production car, a couple named the U9. It has pop-up doors, four electric motors and active suspension that can “dance”. Prices start from 1,680,000 Yuan (roughly U.S. $236,400), but all those looking to preorder must make a non-refundable deposit in the amount of 300,000 Yuan ($42,200).
The car is 4,966 mm long, 2,029 mm wide and 1,295 mm tall with 2,900 mm between the axles (inches: 194 x 79.3 x 50.6, WB: 113.3). It weighs 2,475 kilos (5,456 lbs), out of which 633 kg (1,395 lbs) is contributed by a LiFePo4 battery sized 80 kWh. A full charge is enough for 465 km (289 mi) of CLTC-rated electric driving.
Like some other BYD EVs – those of the Denza sub-brand – the YangWang U9 can be plugged into two charging outlets simultaneously for faster charging. It has 800V internals and supports charging powers up to 500 kW, meaning you can replenish the battery from 30 to 80 percent within just 10 minutes.
The powertrain consists of four 326-PS (322-hp / 240-kW) motors driving one wheel each. Considered together, they send 1,306 PS (1,288 hp / 961 kW) and 1,680 Nm (1,240 lb-ft) of torque to the asphalt. Sprinting from zero to 100 km/h (62 mph) succeeds in 2.36 seconds.
Feature-wise, the BYD DiSus-X suspension system is arguably the most interesting. It meticulously tracks all lateral, longitudinal and vertical movements of the car body and proactively prevents any kind of swaying, rolling or jerky movement. It is essentially an upgraded version of the DiSus-P system that debuted with the YangWang U8 SUV. Owners even get a number of demo modes to showcase its capabilities. The car can dance on the spot, make a full standing turn, and more.
Last but not least, the U9 has three displays on the dash united by an interface called DiLink. It runs on a chipset co-developed between BYD and Qualcomm and supports a wide range of DiPilot driving assists. A fully autonomous parking mode is included.
