Shenzhen, China - Chinese car manufacturers have upped their game in recent years to the point where traditional carmakers are starting to worry.
China has yet to become a dominant force in the premium car market, but those winds of change are already blowing, and the latest to join the party is BYD’s new luxury car brand YangWang.
The Chinese auto giant, which specialises in electric cars, announced the new brand in November last year, and this week it pulled the covers off the first two products: an SUV called the U8 and a supercar that goes by the name of U9.
For now the YangWang brand is for China only, but that could certainly change at some point in the future, especially since the core BYD brand is rolling out to international markets.
Now let’s take a closer look at the two vehicles on offer, both of which are fully electric.
The YangWang U8 is a ladder-frame SUV that seems to take a bit of design inspiration from the Land Rover Defender and Range Rover. Measuring 5.3 metres in length, the Chinese SUV is even larger than the latter.
Built for hardcore off-roading, the U8 features extensive water-proofing that also extends to the motors, allowing the vehicle to float over water.
The U8 SUV is powered by four electric motors that collectively produce 820kW, according to Drive, allowing for a three-second 0-100km/h sprint.
Because there’s an e-motor on each wheel, the vehicle can also perform ‘tank turns’, effectively spinning 360 degrees on its own axis.
The electronically controlled four-wheel drive system is said to respond 100 times faster than a traditional 4WD system.
YangWang U9: Hypercar of the future
The Chinese premium brand is also vying for a slice of the hypercar market with its U9, featuring a daring exterior design, complete with scissor doors.
Like its SUV cousin, the U9 features an electric motor on each wheel, for a system output of around 960kW, Inside EVs reports.
The hypercar is said to be capable of sprinting to 100km/h in around two seconds, which will make it one of the fastest-accelerating cars in the world.
Not much else is known about the new Chinese duo, and its parent company has yet to tell us how far they’ll drive on a charge.
But don’t expect them to come cheap, with both new products being touted as ‘million yuan’ vehicles, which equates to around R2.5-million in South African rands.