Here's what's inside the new BYD Zhengzhou All-Terrain Circuit

MANILA: BYD has opened its in-house vehicle proving grounds in the City of Zhengzhou in Henan, China. 

Officially known as the BYD Zhengzhou All-Terrain Circuit, it was inaugurated last August 2025. The said facility is equivalent to other large vehicle testing centers such as the BMW facility in Sokolov, Czech Republic, the Toyota Technical Center Shimoyama in Japan, the Mitsubishi facility in Chonburi, Thailand, as well as Volkswagen Group’s Ehra-Lessien Test Track in Germany. 

So, what's inside the newly opened BYD Zhengzhou All-Terrain Circuit? 

Sand Incline, Wading Pool

One of the highlights of the BYD Zhengzhou All-Terrain Circuit is its Sand Incline facility—a massive structure that simulates the large dunes found in deserts such as the Sahara. 

To mimic the steep upward climb of a dune, the structure is built with a 28-degree gradient that terminates in a holding or “u-turn” area, approximately 97 feet above ground level. Currently, it stands as the world’s highest and largest dune-climbing facility for car testing, according to Guinness World Records. 

Another noteworthy in-house testing facility at the BYD Zhengzhou All-Terrain Circuit is the wading pool. The said pool is around 1.7 meters deep, with a maximum capacity of up to 2 meters. As such, it simulates floods, river crossings, or vehicular accidents involving deep water. Moreover, it also allows BYD to test the waterproofing of their vehicle’s electric motors and batteries. 

During our visit to the BYD Zhengzhou All-Terrain Circuit, the two facilities were showcased along with the Yangwang U8 - a full-size off-road-capable sport utility vehicle (SUV) propelled by four electric motors (one for each wheel) and a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 gasoline range extender. At maximum, the said model can produce up to 1,180 horsepower (hp). 

For the Sand Incline, the Yangwang U8 took full advantage of its high power output by briskly sprinting to the top, and immediately descending at speed.

The vehicle also demonstrated its aquatic capabilities by travelling the entire 70-meter length of the Wading Pool with three to four passengers on board using its “Emergency Float Mode”. 

Per the Chinese manufacturer, the U8 wasn’t built outright as an amphibious vehicle. Regardless, the vehicle was capable of changing directions and traveling by displacing water via its spinning wheels. 

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Off-Road Park

The BYD Zhengzhou All-Terrain Circuit is also host to an “Off-Road Park,” which boasts a total of 27 unique obstacles that are able to test a vehicle’s hill descent and ascending, traction, suspension articulation, ground clearance, suspension damping, and drivetrain locking. 

During our stint at this course, we were allowed to drive the BYD Fang Cheng Bao Leopard 5 - a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) mid-size SUV that uses the same dual-mode off-road platform (DM-O) as the locally available BYD Shark 6 DM-O. 

In general, the course is a controlled environment that guarantees safety for those using it. It doesn’t push the vehicle to its limits, but it was designed to be an arena to showcase BYD’s many in-house developed safety and off-road-oriented technologies. 

The highlight of our time in this section, however, is simply the Leopard 5. It is essentially an SUV version of the BYD Shark 6 DM-O, featuring the same cockpit layout and control scheme. The one we drove, however, is a far more potent ride, boasting a maximum output of up to 677 hp. 

Additionally, the Fang Cheng Bao-branded SUV has more interior space, and interestingly, more drive modes compared to the locally available Shark 6 DM-O. 

Low-friction ring, Kick Plate

While the Off-Road demonstrated the ability of BYD SUV products to maintain traction, the BYD Zhengzhou All-Terrain Circuit also has two main venues that explore how cars behave when their tires begin to slip and slide. 

First is the Kick Plate, which, per its name, uses a movable suction plates that rob the vehicle of traction before letting it loose on a slippery surface. The aforementioned allows one to test out how quickly BYD’s on-board systems respond to loose road surfaces in order to bring the car back into a more stable trajectory. During this test, we rode along with an instructor aboard the BYD Song L electric vehicle (EV) - a mid-size crossover built on the company’s e-Platform 3.0. 

The second low-traction test actually allowed us to drive a vehicle again. This time, it is the Low-friction ring, a 44-meter-diameter circular arena surfaced by slick basalt tiles that are constantly being sprayed with water. 

The setup provides the perfect way to test a car’s handling in consistently low-traction situations. Specifically, we conducted this test using the BYD Denza Z9 GT wagon, which is capable of producing up to 858 hp from its 2.0-liter turbocharged engine and trio of electric motors. The vehicle also came with a dedicated drift mode, which enabled participants to go sideways with the careful application of countersteering and steady, yet feathered, throttle inputs. 

Dynamic driving paddock

Simply put, the Dynamic driving paddock is a wide open area with enough space to accommodate several varied arrangements of cones. For the Philippine media delegation’s visit, the said area was configured into an autocross track.

Taking the spotlight during this activity were the BYD Seal EV and the BYD Tang DM-i. For his run, the author navigated the course with the BYD Seal EV, taking advantage of the sedan’s 521 hp output and its sizable ventilated front and rear disc brakes. 

In most scenarios, the BYD Seal EV is an elegant ride offering lots of comfort. But for this course, the model demonstrated is lightning-fast power delivery, quick steering response, and ample stopping power.  

The BYD Tang DM-i, which the author didn’t get to drive on this course, also managed to navigate the course despite its large size. 

Race Track

The crown jewel of the BYD Zhengzhou All-Terrain Circuit is its race track. Overall, it spans 1.76 kilometers, while featuring a 550-meter-long straight. 

To blaze through this race track, the organizers allowed Zigwheels Philippines and other delegates to ride shotgun aboard the Yangwang U9 all-electric supercar. Mind you, these were the “regular” 1,300-hp versions and not the uber-powerful 3,000-hp U9 Extreme. Still, they tore through the course in blistering speeds, all the while maintaining perfect poise due to their highly responsive “DiSus” active suspension systems. 

Their acceleration at the race track’s long straight, however, is the pièce de résistance of our ride-along activity. We didn’t manage to get exact speed figures, but BYD has previously shared that the U9 can accelerate from zero to 100 kilometers per hour in just 2.36 seconds. 

With that kind of acceleration, the author got a taste of high G forces. Thankfully, the Yangwang U9 came with seats equipped with active bolstering, which moved to support one’s body in response to the vehicle’s movements.

Testing cars, promoting motorsport

At face value, one can consider the BYD Zhengzhou All-Terrain Circuit as a way for the Chinese carmaker to flex its cars, technology, and ample pool of resources. It is, after all, a $700 million (around P40 billion) facility. 

On the flip side, a dedicated proving ground for NEV vehicles like this shows the company's eagerness to test its own vehicles and make sure they are up to snuff against the competition. 

As BYD itself has professed, the establishment of its Zhengzhou proving ground likewise breaks the gap between traditional car culture and NEVs. It also offers a way of nurturing professional racers who are getting into NEVs and motorsports in general. The Chinese automotive industry, after all, is still new to the idea of racing culture, and more facilities like the BYD Zhengzhou All-Terrain Circuit will somewhat help in popularizing NEV motorsport in the region. 

Also read:

BYD Tang EV vs DM-i: what are the differences

Lynk & Co. 01 vs BYD Sealion 5 DM-i vs Changan Nevo Q05: Chinese hybrid SUV smackdown

BYD Sealion 5 DM-i vs. the competition

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