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Shanghai Auto Show: U8’s crab walk is ‘all that anybody can remember’ as BYD bets on Yangwang luxury EVs to climb the value chain
- The U8 has a massive 1,100 horsepower engine and four wheel-side motors that can rotate the electric SUV in a tank turn, and even crab walk sideways
- The U9 is a sleek super car that can accelerate to 100km/h in two seconds flat, putting it a tenth of a second ahead of Tesla’s Model S Plaid as the fastest EV
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BYD’s Yangwang series, the first million-yuan electric vehicles (EVs) by an assembler better known for its low-priced models, has generated the loudest buzz and become the biggest crowd-puller at this year’s Shanghai Auto Show.
Visitors waited in long queues for up to 30 minutes to get close to BYD’s U8 luxury sports-utility vehicle (SUV) and its U9 supercar, on display at an exhibition space near Porsche, Lamborghini and other global marques.
For 1.098 million yuan (US$159,000), the U8’s appearance evokes comparisons with the Range Rover. It can get to 100km/h from standstill in 3.6 seconds, with a massive 1,100-horsepower engine and four wheel-side motors that can rotate the vehicle in a so-called tank turn, even crab-walk sideways, according to its demonstration video. It has a sealed undercarriage that lets it drive in water.
Not to be outdone, the U9 is an all-electric super sports car that promises to accelerate to 100km/h from standstill in two seconds flat. That would put it a tenth of a second ahead of Tesla’s Model S Plaid, as the world’s fastest EV.
Also equipped with wheel-side motors, the U9 can perform a hop, and even run on three wheels, according to its demonstration video. Spectators broke into spontaneous applause when the model was unveiled.
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