YangWang U9 launched in China with a single option priced at 1.68 million yuan (236,000 USD). The all-electric supercar sits on the e4 platform and is equipped with BYD’s Disus X suspension system, which enables it to drive on three wheels, jump, or dance. Four electric motors power the EV with a total output of 960 kW (1287 hp) and 1,680 Nm peak torque.
U9, which stands for Ultimate 9 according to BYD, is AWD and can accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 2.36 seconds, and drag race time for 400 meters (quarter mile) is 9.78 seconds, according to BYD. The electric motor can spin at 21,000 rpm. Interestingly, unlike other high-end cars, the car is not equipped with an NCM chemistry battery but features BYD’s lithium iron phosphate (LFP) Blade battery pack.
The official top speed of YangWang U9 is 309.19 km/h. It was tested on the famous Shanghai International Circuit, reaching the official lap time of 2 minutes, 17 seconds, and 65 milliseconds. Here are the times of other cars for comparison:
- Nio EP9: 2 minutes, 01 seconds, and 11 milliseconds
- BMW M5 F90: 2 minutes, 22 seconds, and 828 milliseconds
- Porsche Panamera Turbo: 2 minutes 27 seconds, and 727 milliseconds
The YangWang U9’s dimensions are (L/H/W) 4966/2029/1295 mm with a wheelbase of 2900 mm (195.51/79.88/50.98 inches with a wheelbase of 114.17 inches). The LFP battery on board has a capacity of 80 kWh, good for 465 km of CLTC range. The maximum charging power is 500 kW, and the battery pack weighs 633 kg (1395.45 pounds). The car has a 2,475 kg (5,456 pounds) curb weight, which is quite a lot for the supercar.
U9 features 800V architecture and can charge from 30% to 80% in 10 minutes. The supercar also supports dual charging, meaning you can plug in two independent charging guns simultaneously. That is nothing new for BYD, as their Denza D9 and N7 already support this technology and sparked some controversies about charging station occupation.
The YangWang U9 was unveiled a year ago during the YangWang brand launch. After it was revealed that it would feature the intelligent suspension Disus X developed in-house by BYD. The car became headlines when performing a dance or driving with only three wheels. That is all thanks to DiSus X suspension, which can lift each axle with a speed of 500 mm/s thanks to the maximum power of 36 kW provided by the 800V platform.
Like its older brother, the U8, the U9 can also do a tank turn. It doesn’t have lidar, but thanks to its DiPilot ADAS (advanced driver-assistance system), it features an autonomous parking assistant. U9’s lightweight body coefficient reaches 0.95. As for the torsional rigidity, it is 54,425 Nm. The rear spoiler of the U9 provides a downforce of up to 280 kg. The U9 drives on 21″ Pirelli P-Zero tires.
The interior is quite dull, especially compared with the striking interior, where almost too much is happening in front and rear. Three LCD screens have thick bezels and look like something from the 2010s. Two are identical, measuring 10.25 inches: one is positioned in front of the driver, and the other in front of the passenger. The bigger vertical screen is 12.3″ and positioned in the middle as the central control screen. The three-spoke steering wheel is quite large, as the supercar should be, and features many physical buttons.
The cockpit system is called DiLink and is powered by a 5G and 4nm chip co-developed by BYD and Qualcomm.
YangWang is BYD’s high end brand. U9 is its second car after the hard-core, floating-on-water SUV U8, which started deliveries in December last year. The third model – the YangWang U7 sedan, with a 135.5 kWh battery – will follow soon. Based on CarNewsChina information, the fourth car will be a fastback SUV.
There was no word on when the deliveries would start, but CarNewsChina expects it will be in mid-2024. Pre-orders started today, and customers who want to purchase U9 must pay a non-refundable 300,000 yuan deposit. BYD will offer a warranty for 6 years or 150,000 km.
YangWang U9 will compete with Geely’s Lotus Emeya sedan and GAC Aion’s Hyper SSR with 1224 horsepower. It also eyes Chinese owners of Ferrari or Lamborghini.
A BEV supercar with 2.36 Second 0 to 100 km/hour acceleration? It must be a joke. This has just shown that BYD has no clue of how to make performance cars. For a niche supercar, BYD should have the flexicibility of using NMC batteries, even if it must source from another battery maker.
Instead of becoming an advertisement for BYD’s technologies, this is an embarrassment, as this car will become a laughing stock in the performance car community. Just as a reminder, Tesla Model S plaid, which isn’t even a supercar, can do 0-60 mile/h in 1.99s. If U9 cannot even do 0-100 km/h in 1.99s, BYD shouldn’t launch it at all.
Model S plaid takes 2.1 seconds to do 0-100. There are very few EV supercars that can do 0-100 under 2 seconds like the gac aion hyper SSR and the Rimac nevera. Even lotus evija which is a 2000HP EV supercar takes 2.7 seconds to do 0-100. I Think you are the laughing stock here.
Don’t get me wrong, I am a BYD fan. Can’t you even tell the difference between a constructive criticism and a negative one? Do you know the difference between a performance car and a supercar?
By the way, 1.99s 0-60 mile/h is the same as 2.1s 0-100 km/h.