Chinese automaker BYD continues promoting its luxurious-yet-rugged SUV known as the Yangwang U8L. This time around, the company dropped a palm tree on the roof – and not once, but three times in a row.
The off-roader was parked within three meters (9.84 ft) from the tree and subsequently moved away from it by another meter (3.28 ft) twice to maximize the impact force. It reached a respectable 50.4 kJ in the third and final test.
Despite the fact that the palm tree was seemingly dropped onto one and the same spot of the frame, the U8L appeared to have withstood the test remarkably well. It lost some minor trim in the process and developed a dent above the driver’s door. However, the door mechanism itself remained functional, suggesting an intact frame.
The full-size Yangwang U8L SUV broke cover at the Auto Shanghai show in April. It is 5.4 meters (211 inches) long, has 3,250 mm (127 inches) between the axles and uses a quartet of electric motors alongside a petrol engine for propulsion. Their combined output comes to 1,197 PS (1,181 hp / 800 kW), while the torque peaks at 1,280 Nm (944 lb-ft).
