YangWang recalibrates the motoring horizon

I have welcomed many new brands, models and technological innovations in my 
thirty years of covering Irish and world motoring trends. This is not a brag, but a 
foundation for opinion forming on the new world we are entering, with 
manufacturers like BYD, who have given the Irish motorist the option of its electric 
offerings of the BYD ATTO 3, BYD DOLPHIN and BYD SEAL models. 
Distributed in Ireland by Motor Distributors Limited, (MDL) BYD models are 
certainly worthy of evaluation and should we need further confirmation on their 
prowess, have a look and a read on their other brand models, the YangWang U8 and 
U9, I was lucky enough to get a preview off, at MDL HQ recently. 
Coming up with suitable adjectives is an everyday safari for us motoring hacks. 
Giving a verbal picture to the reader that captures accurately what I have just 
experienced can be difficult, and should I have needed reminding of such, these two 
vehicles simply shred my thesaurus into confetti. 
YANGWANG U8 
On so many levels they are outrageous, wonderfully technological, redefine the term 
rapid, all while encasing the occupants in decadent luxury. The all-terrain 
YANGWANG U8 hybrid SUV, is a 5-door, 4x4, all-terrain vehicle, 3.5-tonnes in 
weight and powered by a 49.05 kWh BYD Blade battery – robustly protected and 
integrated into the vehicle’s chassis as part of BYD’s Cell-to-Chassis (CTC) 
technology – and supported by four permanent electric motors delivering 295bhp to 
each wheel, backed up by a front, transverse-mounted, 2-litre, 4-cylinder turbo 
charged petrol engine which works as a range-extender.  
 
On the inside, the U8 is luxuriously appointed, with more leather than a herd of 
Charolais, and courtesy of multiple screens, all occupants get entertained and 
informed as they desire, truly mind-boggling. 
The U8 is built on their e4 Platform, the U8 houses cutting-edge technology, 
stemming from BYD’s two decades of R&D experience, and evident in a variety of 
highly imaginative features, many safety related. For example, in the event of a 
sudden tyre blowout, a Vehicle Stabilisation System helps the driver to maintain a 
safe course.  
 
For those with the inclination, an emergency ‘flotation’ function enables the U8 to 
‘float’ on water for 30 minutes and motor forward at a gradual 3 kms/h speed - with 
the additional capacity to ‘wade’ through floods with a snorkel exhaust fitted. Ditch 
all you assume about performance, the U8 delivers some 1,200 bhp, and a (CLTC) 
battery range of up to 1000 kms, Yep, 1200bhp.  
 
Other safety-related features are its DiSus-P Intelligent Hydraulic Body Control – an 
active suspension system that uses hydraulic actuators to increase ground clearance 
by 15cms. A differential steering system enables it to perform 180-degrees ‘tank- 
turns’. 

 
YANGWANG U9 
There is no escaping the magnetism of the pure-electric YangWang U9, its street 
profile closer to a Formula 1 car than a conventional commuter. 
 
It sits on YangWang’s e4 Platform, with each wheel having its own drive system that 
redistributes torque to all wheels in the event of traction loss, and DiSus-X 
Intelligent Hydraulic Body Control System, allowing ground clearance to be 
adjusted.  
The U9 is fitted with an 80kWh BYD Blade battery, with four electric motors that 
deliver a total 960kW power to all four wheels (equal to 1,300hp). Suffice it to say 
that performance is not an issue, nor is its ability to melt licences, even when parked. 
 
It has an overall electric range of 450kms and a maximum 1,680Nm of torque. With 
DC charging power of 500 kW, charging from 30% to 80% takes only 10 minutes. To 
increase charging speed, it can accommodate dual charging using two charging guns. 
 
For more information about BYD please visit www.bydauto.ie