In the minds of many Chinese residents, February 25 marks the real start of a new year's work.
(A regulatory filing image of the Yangwang U9.)
BYD's (OTCMKTS: BYDDF) premium brand Yangwang will officially launch its U9 electric supercar about a week from today, kicking off new model launches after the Chinese New Year holiday.
Yangwang will hold a launch event for the U9 in Shanghai on Sunday, February 25, according to an invitation shared today by local automotive media outlet Yiche.
Yangwang has yet to announce the launch date on its official channels, and the brand shared a video of the U9 on Weibo on February 10, the first day of the Chinese Lunar Year 2024, to celebrate the Chinese New Year.
This year's Chinese New Year holiday runs from February 10-17, and February 18 will be a work day, even though it's a Sunday.
In the minds of many Chinese residents, after the Lantern Festival on February 24, February 25 -- the 16th day of the first month of 2024 on the lunar calendar -- marks the real start of the new year's work.
(A regulatory filing image of the Yangwang U9.)
BYD officially launched Yangwang -- a brand aiming for a price tag at the RMB 1 million ($139,000) level -- on January 5, 2023, when it gave the hardcore off-road SUV U8, as well as the supercar U9, their debuts.
The Yangwang U8 was officially launched on September 20, 2023, with deliveries beginning on November 24. Last month, Yangwang revealed its first sedan, the U7, which it said would be priced in the RMB 1 million range.
The Yangwang U9 made it into a draft model catalog released by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) on December 8, which is the last major regulatory process by which a model can be sold in China.
(An image of the U9 released by Yangwang.)
The electric supercar has only one filing page, showing that it will be built at a factory in Shenzhen, where BYD is headquartered.
The Yangwang U9 has just two seats, a total mass of 2,475 kilograms and supports a top speed of 300 kilometers per hour.
It measures 4,966 mm in length, 2,029 mm in width and 1,295/1,338 mm in height. Its height is 1,295 mm with the optional electric spoiler and 1,338 mm with the optional carbon fiber fixed spoiler.
The model is equipped with four electric motors, each with a peak power of 240 kW, according to the filing.
The Yangwang U9 is based on the quad-motor independent drive technology platform e⁴ and can sprint from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in less than three seconds, BYD said when it let the model debut last year.
(An image of the U9 released by Yangwang.)
($1 = RMB 7.1936)
