BYD is poised to join the exclusive club of ultra-luxury flagship sedans!
Yangwang dreams of a luxury limousine
Its premium Yangwang line has just unveiled teaser images of a new sedan whose silhouette unmistakably nods to the Rolls-Royce Phantom, even adopting, for the first time, its reverse-opening suicide doors—a bold move for the Chinese automaker. This sedan had already been spotted in photos a few months earlier at BYD’s technical center, alongside a luxury SUV that appears to be targeting a challenge to the Rolls-Royce Cullinan. But this marks the first time the brand officially confirms the development of this ultra-high-end model. The front end borrows the design language of Yangwang’s other models, with a grille reminiscent of the SUV U8 and U8L. The headlights showcase multiple LED elements paired with a carved Yangwang logo. The overall silhouette remains faithful to the spy photos, even though BYD has taken care to mask the taillights in these new images. The door handles are now clearly visible, and the way they are positioned confirms the presence of these famous inverted-opening doors.
La première BYD équipée de batteries solides
Without interior images, it’s impossible yet to know whether the car will adopt a central pillar-free architecture, which would offer more generous access to the cabin when the two doors on a single side are opened. We do expect motorized doors with automatic opening, as is already the standard among Chinese rivals in the segment. A LiDAR module sits atop the roof, and given the expected price positioning, the arrival of additional side LiDARs wouldn’t be surprising. The biggest unknown to date concerns the powertrain. According to several Chinese sources, this sedan could become the very first BYD vehicle equipped with solid-state batteries. That would not be a surprise: Yangwang models serve as BYD’s technology showcases, much like the SUV U8 that pioneered the four-motor e4 platform, or the supercar U9 Xtreme, which is set to attempt to breach the symbolic 500 km/h barrier next November. There’s a strong bet that these versions will coexist with more “classic” versions using the LFP “Blade Battery 2.0” technology at a more accessible price. Given BYD’s clout, this new Yangwang could arrive on the market as early as next year.
