Last year BYD’s Yangwang U9 sports car danced its way on stage and took the automotive Internet by storm but with the U9 set to bounce its way to us with its official launch on February 25, what’s the story with the suspension?
It’s official name is the BYD DiSus Intelligent Body Control System (DiSus System) and it was launched at an event last April which also gave us a preview of the Yangwang U9. The Chinese name of the system is Yunnian which is difficult to translate but is connected to the words cloud and the carriages that the emperors used to ride so perhaps can be seen to be something akin to a cloud like ride. While we’re not sure exactly what the English name means we believe the Sus part is from suspension and the Di is likely the ‘D’ from BYD. The letter D is very much in the names of BYD elements and so the voice control system is known as Xiao Di (little D) and the current self-driving system is DiPilot.
With the full stack self-developed system BYD becomes the first Chinese automobile manufacturer to own the intelligent vehicle body control technology throughout. The system was especially developed for new energy vehicles, BYD stopped selling pure ICE cars in 2022. BYD says the system significantly improves the driving experience. The system is currently being rolled out across the different BYD brands. Certainly higher level versions of the systems use the car’s on board sensors such as LiDAR to scan the road ahead to allow the suspension to adjust itself. DiSus comes in 4 known versions, the fourth being the DiSus-X which will debut on the Yangwang U9.
DiSus-C is an Intelligent Damping Body Control System and is the most basic of the versions similar to CDC variable damping shock absorbers with electronic control valves adjusting the damping of the shock absorber. What’s interesting is that some Han, Tang and Denza models gained the ability via an OTA thanks to already having the necessary hardware. Going forward most BYD cars are likely to have this technology.
Moving up Intelligent Air Body Control System (DiSus-A) is the next level of the system. Obviously this is dependent on the model having air suspension and the system enables the vehicle to adjust its height and presumably each wheel according to the road conditions. Vehicle height is adjustable by up to 150 mm with the system. The first car to get DiSus-A was the Denza N7.
The YangWang U8, BYD’s G-wagon competitor, was the first to feature the DiSus-P Intelligent Hydraulic Body Control System, and this is currently the most advanced version of the system available. If you’re wondering how the YangWang U8 can do those incredible tank turns, well it’s because of this system. What it also gives the car is an amazing off-road ability thanks to it being possible to raise or lower the suspension by 200 mm and a hydraulic spring assembly for each wheel allows it to react to the road surface.
And then there is DiSus-X with the X possibly standing for extreme. This will have performance that exceeds all other levels of the DiSus system and one thing we know is that it allows the YangWang U9 to drive with only three wheels. It is also what allows the car to dance. More details will likely emerge when the YangWang U9 launches on February 25.
Knowing BYD, their advanced suspension won’t work. GM introduced cutting edge suspension with magnetic dampening in 2002 on the Cadillac STS Seville called MagneRide. Twenty Two years later BYD still can’t manufacture anything close to as good.
20 years later BYD is the biggest EV company in the world. While GM struggles to make competitive priced decent EVs. Even Toyota uses BYD motors and batteries in their EVs, Tesla also uses BYD batteries. Now where’s your GM. It will be a miracle if GM can make something that’s remotely close to BYD U8 SUV or the U9 supercar.
Time will tell!
Many years back I used to drive a Citroen BX. The suspension was brilliant – when it worked. The problem was it got to the stage where it tended to break every year and needed repairing.
How can they turn the car using only suspension?
I don’t think it is a case of just suspension but the use of it in combination with the four individual electric motors.
With each motor tuning in the opposite direction somehow.
Bentley also does this now (not the video) with Lidar and self adjusting suspension while driving and it’s apparently working out well for them.
Maybe BYD stole Bentleys design off the inside web lol! Sorry BYD!
Still a good design and wows the crowd who’ve never seen this before now!
BYD is kicking it everywhere now with top sales in every county but USA! Wouldn’t it be great if electric was found to be flawed and a New technology emerged!!!