BYD
- Chinese electric-car maker BYD posted a video of its upcoming Yangwang U9 supercar.
- The luxury vehicle will be able to bounce and jump off the ground.
- BYD showed off the U9's "body control system."
Cars that just move forward and backward are so yesterday. Super-powered electric vehicles that can bounce side to side and up and down? Now that's the future.
Chinese Tesla rival BYD showed the world just that on Monday.
In a video from a BYD event posted to Twitter, its upcoming Yangwang U9 can be seen dancing and bobbing side to side as it slowly drives across the stage. At the culmination of the routine, the car squats down low and bursts upward, hopping what looks like an inch or two off the ground.
—BYD Global (@BYDGlobal) April 10, 2023
In a separate clip, the U9 drives while balancing on just three wheels.
—BYD Global (@BYDGlobal) April 10, 2023
It was all a demonstration of BYD's new DiSus body control system, which according to the automaker enhances safety and agility. It helps with high-speed cornering and minimizes rollover risk, BYD said. To be sure, hopping off the ground and bouncing looks like more of a party trick to show your friends rather than a safety feature.
It looks a lot like a feature in some Mercedes SUVs that makes the vehicle bounce vigorously up and down. It's supposed to help you get unstuck in off-road situations, but it'll also impress a crowd.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has promised some outlandish capabilities for its future Roadster supercar, including the ability to hover short distances thanks to cold-air thrusters. But that vehicle is still a long way from production.
The Chinese automaker is quickly catching up to Tesla, the longtime global leader in EV sales. Its new Yangwang luxury brand aims to compete with high-end manufacturers and will include two models to start: the U9 and a Land Rover-esque SUV called the U8.
The U8, which will cost in the neighborhood of $150,000, offers up some party tricks of its own. It can spin in place thanks to four independent motors that can spin in opposite directions from one another, as BYD demonstrated in a clip:
—BYD Global (@BYDGlobal) January 13, 2023