- The Yangwang U7, priced at RMB 628,000 ($86,430), is BYD's latest offensive in the luxury car market.
- Powerful performance, ride comfort and safety are the main selling points of the Yangwang U7.
BYD's (HKG: 1211, OTCMKTS: BYDDY) ultra-luxury sub-brand Yangwang has officially rolled out its new model, the U7, the latest model aimed at the Chinese luxury car market by a domestic car company.
The starting price of the mid-to-large sedan is RMB 628,000 ($86,430), far lower than the "RMB 1 million class" that Yangwang has repeatedly mentioned.
The Yangwang U7 is offered in battery electric vehicle (BEV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) options, and with different seating layouts.
Its five-seat version starts at RMB 628,000 yuan, regardless of BEV or PHEV variant. The four-seat version starts at RMB 708,000 yuan, the same for both BEV and PHEV variants.
Yangwang is a sub-brand launched by BYD on January 5, 2023, targeting the ultra-luxury market priced at around RMB 1 million.
The brand has already launched the U8 off-road SUV (sport utility vehicle) -- starting at RMB 1.098 million yuan, and the U9 electric supercar -- starting at 1.68 million yuan. The U7 is the latest offensive by Yangwang and BYD in the luxury car market.
The Yangwang U7 measures 5,265 mm in length, 1,998 mm in width and 1,517 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 3,160 mm.
It is based on Yangwang's e4 technology and has four electric motors, each with a peak power of 240 kW, giving a total power of 960 kW and a peak torque of 1,584 Nm.
The powertrain delivers 1,300 horsepower and can allow the car to sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.9 seconds.
With the help of the four independent electric motors, the Yangwang U7 can perform tank turns and crab walk.
Another key selling point of the model is DiSus-Z, a body control system that provides better comfort and is the top-of-the-line variant of BYD's DiSus system.
The system allows the Yangwang U7 to offer ride comfort that surpasses that of a maglev train and can easily handle bumpy roads, according to BYD.
DiSus-Z also offers increased safety. In the event of a flat tire, the system allows the suspension to automatically lift the damaged wheel, leaving the remaining three wheels to drive independently, so that the vehicle can continue to travel at 80 km/h for 30 kilometers.
The body control system can integrate data from the LiDAR and the camera sensors, allowing the suspension to predict road conditions 0.5 seconds in advance and adjust the body height and damping.
The Yangwang U7 is equipped with BYD's top-end God's Eye A smart driving system, and the smart driving solution is DiPilot 600, which uses three LiDARs.
It uses two Nvidia Drive Orin-X chips with a total computing power of 508 TOPS.
The U7 will be delivered with the Navigate on Autopilot (NOA) function for urban areas, Yangwang said.
The Yangwang U7 BEV is equipped with a 135.5-kWh battery pack and has a CLTC range of 720 kilometers.
It can be charged from 30 percent to 80 percent in 20 minutes and supports the simultaneous use of two charging guns with a peak power of up to 500 kW.
The Yangwang U7 PHEV is equipped with a 52.4 kWh battery pack and has a combined range of up to 1,000 km on a full tank of fuel and full charge.
Yangwang is a sub-brand of BYD exploring the luxury market, and the U7 is its latest effort.
For many years, Chinese local brands could only find a niche in the mid-to-low-end car market, while the high-end market was dominated mainly by German luxury brands.
However, with the rapid development of electrification in China, local brands have rapidly risen and are beginning to take up more share in the high-end market.
As of the end of February, Yangwang's cumulative deliveries since deliveries began in November 2023 were 9,846 vehicles, according to data compiled by CnEVPost.
($1 = RMB 7.2656)
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