BYD Targets Rolls-Royce: First Image of the Yangwang Altior, the Luxury Sedan That Could Feature Solid-State Batteries

Next week, BYD will unveil the largest and most luxurious model in its lineup, the new Yangwang Altior. This sedan is set to compete with the Bentley Flying Spur and Mercedes-Maybach Class S, as well as the Rolls-Royce Ghost and Phantom. To generate interest, the Chinese company has released a first image of the vehicle, confirming that it will have two different names.

Hu Xiaoqing, general manager of the Yangwang brand, explains that the vehicle was given two commercial names: it will be called Dingyao in China, while abroad it will be known as Altior, a word derived from Latin meaning 'higher'.

Its design strongly resembles that of Rolls-Royce’s flagship sedans, featuring a very vertical front end, a wide C-pillar, and doors that open opposite to the direction of travel... Preliminary reports suggest it will be around 5.5 meters long, making it even larger than the BMW i7 and Mercedes-Benz EQS. These latter models are actually competitors to the Yangwang U7.

The debut of the new Yangwang Altior will take place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Zheng Yu, deputy general manager of Yangwang, claims the new model will feature “unprecedented disruptive technology.” Rumors suggest it could be the group’s first electric vehicle to use solid-state batteries, a technology that Stella Li, executive vice president of BYD, confirmed will arrive next year.

The Yangwang Altior could be unveiled on November 5

Initially, the production of these batteries will be very limited, which is why their use in a super-luxury vehicle like the one we are discussing makes perfect sense. Li mentioned in a recent interview that BYD is at the forefront of developing solid-state batteries and bringing them to market, and it will soon prove this claim.

The Yangwang Altior has been spotted (still covered in camouflage) next to a BYD’s next-generation ultra-fast charging station; therefore, it will be compatible with the Flash Charging 2.0 system. Although we assume that the new solid-state batteries will surpass the existing second-generation Blade batteries in terms such as energy density, it is not clear whether they will charge faster.

Models compatible with Flash Charging 2.0 can charge from 10% to 70% in 5 minutes and from 10% to 97% in 9 minutes. It’s possible that, thanks to its advanced batteries, the Yangwang Altior could improve these figures even further, putting it at the top of the market in terms of charging speed. The vehicle is also expected to feature other flagship technologies such as a four-motor propulsion system, an intelligent suspension from the DiSus family, and the God’s Eye driving assistant.

Source | Electrek