BYD Yangwang U9 electric hypercar seen testing

BYD’s new luxury brand Yangwang took everybody by surprise when it unveiled an electric hypercar prototype during the premiere of its upcoming SUV the U8. The 1,100 hp electric hypercar meant to showcase the new brand’s design language and its capabilities as an EV brand.

It turns out Yangwang was serious about the U9 and we have first photos of a highly camouflaged test car roaming the streets of China. We can immediately notice the less dramatic headlights but those can be placement units. Overall shape of the car remains pretty much the same as that of the prototype.

The transparent rear fin is gone from the test vehicle but the front bumper under the camouflage seems to have the same shape. The roof is well covered and the pictures themselves aren’t of the highest quality making spotting any details rather difficult.

The Yangwang U9 shares its EV platform with the Yangwang U8 SUV which means four 275 hp electric motors, each powering an individual wheel. Combined torque output of 1,280 Nm and claimed 0 to 100 km/h sprint in 2 seconds.

The car is claimed to come with a at least 100 kWh battery which is supposed to give it a 700 km range under the CLTC testing rules but in reality that will be unachievable. Still, even 400 km would be great in a car looking this good.

As you can expect, the U9 won’t be cheap. The car is expected to retail for RMB 1,000,000 or close to $150,000 which is a substantial amount of money, even considering its performance. When the U9 finally hits the market it will face competition from Aion Hyper SSR which is a tad quicker. Chinese buyers can finally get their hands on the Tesla S Plaid which is just as quick and have room for five. Decisions, decisions…

Via