BETTER PARTSBYD's Yangwang U8 with 1,200 hp can even float for half an hour
He can also do tank turns and ride on three wheels
You may remember the Yangwang U9 as that Chinese supercar that keeps driving if it loses a wheel. We thought at the time that the U9 would be the strangest car we would encounter this year. "Hold my Tsingtao for a moment," BYD responds. They now come with this SUV: the Yangwang U8. And no, it's not electric. Or at least, not completely.
Yangwang's second car is a plug-in hybrid. Unlike PHEVs you are used to, the electric motors are dominant and the combustion engine is a range extender. His job is to increase the range. With a full tank and battery you should be able to travel 1,000 kilometers. Now you need to train your bladder to be able to drive 1,000 kilometers in a row without taking a break.
On the inside, the Chinese Defender lookalike is packed with nappa leather, speakers and many, many screens. In any case, your screen time will not decrease in the U8. On the dashboard alone you have a 12.8-inch center screen and two wide 23.6-inch screens on both sides. There is also no shortage of screens in the back.
Specifications of the Yangwang U8
Four electric motors – one per wheel – together produce 1,200 hp. As a result, the U8 sprints to 100 km/h in 3.6 seconds. The U8 can even drive with just three wheels. The active chassis keeps the car straight so that the brake disc does not drag on the asphalt and the individual control of the wheels ensures that the drive only goes to three wheels.
And the strange gadgets don't stop there. In the event of an emergency, the U8 can float on the water for at least 30 minutes. In the video below you see a floating U8. The system turns off the combustion engine and closes the doors and windows except for the skylight. On the water you can cruise at a speed of 3 km/h.
Back to the normal, electric SUV world. Charging is possible with 110 kW, which allows you to charge from 30 to 80 percent in 18 minutes. Exactly, not 20 to 80 like all other brands do. Don't feel like having cables lying around in the car? There are three charging platforms that allow you to charge your smartphone with 50 kW.
The price of the U8
You may already be used to cars that are announced now and won't hit showrooms until mid-summer 2024. The U8 does not suffer from this. BYD will start supplying the Yangwang U8 'Premium Edition' in China in October this year. This will also happen in China next Sunday. The first customers of the U8 will pay the equivalent of approximately 140,000 euros.