What are these new cars all about then?
Yangwang is a funny old brand. Well, not that old (it was kicked off by BYD in 2023), but it is an unusual case nonetheless.
Its line up consists of just two models - the U8, a monstrously large, insanely luxurious 880kW plug-in hybrid SUV that can float (yes, really) and the U9, a brutally fast all-electric 960kW hypercar that will belt to 100km/h in 2.3 seconds.
Yeah. That’s quite the model range.
Unsurprisingly, Yangwang (which means "admire" or "look up to" in Chinese) sits at the very top of BYD’s family tree with two cars made without care for cost - they are flagship models that simply had to be the very best. And it’s very hard to argue they missed that mark.
On a recent trip to China to sample “lesser” BYDs, we were promised a drive in the U8, while the U9 was dangled in front of us, tantalising but out of reach - there would be no drive.
We were treated to a frisky little dance routine by the Chinese hypercar though, showing off its weird little party trick - the ability to launch itself into the air for reasons that even BYD has been unable to explain outside the fact it “demonstrates the DiSUS-X” active body control system.
They should really just say it's because it's hilarious and leave it at that.
The U9 looks absolutely stunning in the metal (well, carbon fibre), hunkering down aggressively over its massive wheels and showing off a ridiculous amount of unpainted carbon fibre peeking out around its deep, lustrous body panels (also carbon fibre, just painted), but it isn’t until you clamber down into it that the depth of quality on show truly hits you.
Despite plenty of desperate pleading and offers of bribery, the U9’s minders stood firm - there was to be no driving
The interior of the U9 is austere in the way the best hypercars are, slathered in Alcantara-like material, with splashes of carbon and a smattering of modestly-sized screens. Lessons have clearly been taken from McLaren and the restraint in what is a flagship model is admirable.
But it is the build quality that genuinely sets the U9 apart from its inspirations - panel gaps are brutally consistent, while you are left with the distinct impression that nothing inside will rattle. Ever.
This - and its mind-melting performance - makes its 1.68 million RMB (NZ$390,000) price tag look like an absolute bargain.
Despite plenty of desperate pleading and offers of bribery, the U9’s minders stood firm - there was to be no driving - so we turned our attention to the literal elephant in the room (seriously, it is massive) the U8 SUV.
Where the U9 is purely electric (with a totally mental 960kW and 1680Nm on tap - okay, I maybe get why they wouldn’t let us drive it…), the U8 is a plug-in hybrid. Arguably THE plug-in hybrid.
Of course, the U8 is also ridiculously luxurious, as you would expect something costing NZ$254,000 should be, but even then it takes things to the extreme.
Using its 2.0-litre turbo petrol four-cylinder engine as a range extender, the U8 packs a 49kWh battery that powers four 220kW electric motors. Yes, that’s one for each wheel and a total combined power output of 880kW.
A colossal 1280Nm of combined torque helps propel the 3 and a half tonne SUV to 100km/h in 3.6 seconds, and that bit about it floating? Yeah, I wasn’t joking - BYD has engineered the U8 to be capable of staying afloat for 30 minutes and even propel itself through the water at 3km/h.
However, BYD stresses that this is an “emergency mode” and it shouldn’t be used for fun. But…
We didn’t get to test that out, however, neither were we allowed to launch the drone from the roof pod on our test car - yep, it has its own DJI drone that you can send down the trail to check off road conditions ahead of you. And, although I am sure BYD would discourage this too - you could conceivably use it to see why traffic is backed up on the motorway or to check out the parking situation…
How much are they?
Neither the U8 or U9 are “cheap”, but at 1.098 Million RMB (NZ$254,000) and 1.68 million RMB (NZ$390,000) respectively, they are genuinely remarkable value for money for what they offer…
What’s are they like to drive?
While none of the real fun stuff like drones, massive HUDs and actually driving the U9 were allowed, we were allowed to push the enormous U8 around a pretty gnarly (and worryingly narrow) quad bike track on the outskirts of Shenzhen.
Here the U8 proved ridiculously capable, with 285mm of ground clearance (the air suspension has around 150mm of travel) and approach, breakover and departure angles of 36.5, 35.4 and 25.5 degrees respectively.
At 5.3 metres long and more than 2 metres wide, it is utterly enormous, which does restrict its off-road abilities somewhat, but its sheer mechanical capabilities alone ensure that, if it fits through, it is going through. Anything.
You’re not going to be choosing between the U8 and U9, it will be one or the other. Or more likely, both.
But on top of that mechanical ability, the U8 has a simply enormous amount of assists and remarkably smart electronic functions on hand as well. For example, it can tank turn 360 degrees on the spot by spinning its left and right wheels in opposite directions.
Despite its plethora of off-road settings, the U8 actually proved to be a bit unimpressive at first, thanks to a language barrier seeing us in what I considered to be the wrong setting for the terrain - our minder insisted it be in mud, even though there wasn’t anything we would necessarily consider “muddy” by New Zealand standards.
This gave the U8 an unpleasantly harsh and brittle ride around the course (it didn’t affect its prodigious crawling abilities in any way though), but I later quietly slipped it into rock mode where it was considerably more compliant and far better suited to the course we were on.
But, of course, the U8 is also ridiculously luxurious, as you would expect something costing NZ$254,000 should be, but even then it takes things to the extreme.
The interior features a 12.8-inch vertical infotainment touchscreen, which may actually seem rather modest in large luxury SUV terms, but don’t worry - it is flanked by a pair of enormous 23.6-inch screens and a 70-inch augmented reality heads-up display.
There are three wireless phone chargers, a 22-speaker Dynaudio sound system, an integrated satellite phone and even a built-in fridge/freezer/heated centre console capable of keeping temperatures between minus 6 and 50 degrees C.
There are sensors all round (3 lidar, 13 cameras, 12 ultrasonic sonar and 5 millimetre wave radar sensors to be exact) for its Level 2 ADAS system, oh, and the seats are spectacular.
What’s the pick of the range?
You’re not going to be choosing between the U8 and U9, it will be one or the other. Or more likely, both.
What other cars should I consider?
Despite the fact that the U8 is loaded with features and tech - to the point of it threatening to overwhelm your senses - the underlying quality and sheer luxury of the U8 is what leaves you truly impressed by it.
Sure, it should be impressive for the money, but then it is the equivalent of entry-level Range Rover money in New Zealand, and the U8 impresses far beyond what a diesel Range Rover D350 HSE SWB ever could.
Likewise, the U9 offers Lamborghini Revuelto-beating performance for Urus money, which is just mind-blowing. Particularly when you consider the Revuelto costs around NZ$1 million…
That is a long way of saying that there isn’t really anything like either Yangwang for the money. Even if they never actually make it here…
