Business Wire
- BYD unveiled an electric supercar under its luxury brand YANGWANG for about $233,400.
- The supercar can accelerate from 0-62 mph in a little over two seconds and go up to 192 mph.
- While BYD is known for selling affordable EVs, it's expanding into a new market.
BYD unveiled its first electric supercar — and it's giving a mix of Ferrari and McLaren vibes.
It's called the U9, and it's being sold for 1.68 million RMB, which is around $233,407, under BYD's high-end brand Yangwang. The Chinese company said it will begin making deliveries over the summer.
Business Wire
The U9 is BYD's first fully electric supercar and the company says it has two core technologies that set it apart from other models: the e4 Platform power system and DiSus-X Intelligent Body Control System, both designed by BYD.
Business Wire
Since it's being positioned as a supercar, you can expect it to go pretty fast. The EV is listed with a top speed of 309 kilometers per hour, or about 192 miles per hour. Ferraris can generally hit speeds between 180 to 218 miles per hour.
You'll also be able to enjoy the instant torque that comes with an EV: the company says the U9 can accelerate from zero to 62.1 miles per hour in 2.36 seconds.
The car's system also offers a dance mode feature where the vehicle can move to music, which the Chinese EV company showed off at an event last year.
BYD became the largest EV seller in the last quarter of 2023, beating Elon Musk's Tesla. The Chinese EV company says the 3 million vehicles it sold last year, including 243,000 exports to Australia, Brazil, and Israel, has made it a top 10 global car seller.
The Shenzhen-based automaker largely gained its market share by selling more affordable EVs than its competitors, but it also releases luxury models under the Yangwang and Fang Cheng Bao brands.
Its latest luxury model called the U8, floats in water during emergencies and it's priced at 1,098,000 RMB, which is about $150,000. The plug-in hybrid SUV began deliveries in October and sold 1,593 units after its first month, according to a BYD regulatory filing released in February.
In the statement, the company said it would continue to build its luxury line of EVS as the luxury brand models "significantly enhanced the company's profitability and greatly enhanced the company's brand image."
BYD recently became so popular abroad that it created a shipping fleet to meet global demand. Its first vehicle carrier, the BYD Explorer No. 1, set sail for the first time in January, delivering over 5,000 cars. The company has said it plans to add seven more vessels to its delivery fleet in the next two years.
The company also plans to start localized production in Thailand, Brazil, and Hungary to meet global needs, according to the January filing.
Yangwang is set to launch more high-end EVs this summer, including a luxury sedan that will cost close to $140,000.