BYD showcases Yangwang U8 SUV, U9 hypercar in PH

MANILA: The Yangwang U8 sport utility vehicle (SUV) and the U9 hypercar were presented together for the first time ever on Philippine soil during the recently concluded BYD & Denza Super Experience Week at the BGC Amphitheater in Taguig. 

The aforementioned is a huge milestone for BYD Group and the companies involved, as it signifies the Chinese carmaker’s staying power and interest in the local market. The pair of electrified vehicles, after all, represents the pinnacle of the BYD Group’s automotive development.

More precisely, the U8 is the conglomerate’s most capable off-road luxury plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) SUV. It is also touted as a rolling demonstrator of BYD’s most advanced, in-house-developed suspension and four-motor independent drive powertrain technologies. 

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At the other end of the spectrum is the U9, considered one of the fastest electric vehicles (EVs) ever made. Like its SUV cousin, the U9 has shown the brand’s capability to build hypercars - competitive ones that have already set speed records. 

Specifically, the Xtreme variant of the Yangwang U9 has already attained a top speed of 496.22 kilometers per hour (308 miles per hour) at the TP Automotive Testing Papenburg track in Germany last year. This makes it the current world’s fastest production car - an accolade that it has continuously chased for years on end by automotive brands such as Bugatti, Koenigsegg, and Rimac - among others. 

Notably, the BYD & Denza Super Experience Week was a joint event organized by Denza Philippines, under the management of BYD Philippines Corporation, and BYD Cars Philippines, which is a part of Ayala-owned ACMobility. 

Be aware also that these companies have not stated if any of these Yangwangs are coming to the local market anytime soon. On the one hand, Denza Philippines has already opened the reservation books for the upcoming Z9 GT - another powerful electrified model. 

Yangwang U8 and U9

For those curious, the Yangwang U8 PHEV SUV is propelled by a quad-motor setup linked to a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four gasoline range extender. At maximum, this system can produce up to 1,200 horsepower (hp) and 1,280 Newton-meters (Nm) of torque. 

With that kind of output, the Yangwang U8 can accelerate from zero to 100 km/h in just 3.2 seconds. Its key strength, however, is its e4 individual-wheel-drive platform and DiSus-P active suspension system, which makes it a highly capable off-road rig that can perform 360-degree tank turns and an emergency water-floating mode. 

The system also enables quick torque vectoring for individual wheels, making it ideal for navigating tough terrain. 

For the Yangwang U9, it is a fully electric vehicle that also comes with a quad-motor setup, with one motor for each wheel. With this, it can dish out 1,287 hp and 1,680 Nm of torque. It also has a range of 450 kilometers, as well as direct current fast charging that is capable of increasing battery levels from 30-80 percent in just 10 minutes. 

Instead of the DiSus-P, the U9 uses the DiSus-X - the most extreme form of the DiSus technology branch. It is said to be capable of full active vehicle body control, which means rapid adjustments to its vertical, lateral, and longitudinal dynamics. It can likewise regulate mass distribution and axle-load transfer. 

The result is a very planted vehicle on the track, whilst demonstrating a significantly reduced risk of a rollover. 

By comparison, the record-breaking U9 Xtreme is even more powerful, with a peak output of 2,977 hp. It also comes with a four-motor setup and the same DiSus-X suspension system, but uses a more powerful EV architecture, more aerodynamic bits, and a more complex carbon-ceramic braking system. 

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