After launching the world’s fastest electric car, BYD now wants to create the most luxurious one.

BYD is set to unveil the flagship model of its luxury brand, Yangwang. It will be a sedan designed to compete with the Bentley Flying Spur and Rolls-Royce Ghost and Phantom. It is currently unknown whether it will feature a 100% electric powertrain, a plug-in hybrid system, or both.

On October 21st, Hu Xiaoqing, the general manager of Yangwang’s sales division, confirmed that the debut of this new luxury sedan will take place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. No specific date has been announced yet, but recent sightings of camouflaged prototypes suggest its launch is imminent.

Preliminary reports suggest it will measure approximately 5.5 meters in length, with a wheelbase exceeding 3.35 mm. Thus, we are talking about a sedan even larger than a BMW i7 or a Mercedes-Benz EQS. Spy photos reveal details such as rear doors that open opposite to the direction of travel, a highly vertical front design with separated lighting units, and a wide C pillar.

Of course, it’s equipped with a LiDAR on the roof, thanks to the latest version of BYD’s God’s Eye driving assistance system. Within the Yangwang lineup, it will sit one tier above the already well-known U7, which is smaller and has a more sporty design. Since the current lineup is led by the U8 and U9 (the latter having become the world’s fastest production car with a top speed of 496.22 km/h), it’s possible the new model will be named U10 to reflect its position at the top of the range.

Yangwang’s new electric sedan will make its debut soon in Dubai

It is expected that, like Yangwang’s other models, its propulsion system will consist of four electric motors. We can also anticipate other technologies such as the DiSus intelligent suspension, along with a rear-wheel steering system.

Rumors suggest it might become BYD’s first vehicle equipped with solid-state electrolyte batteries: given that initial production volumes will be very low, using them in a vehicle with limited range like the one under discussion here would be perfect. This means it could significantly improve the energy density of the second-generation Blade batteries.

Yangwang’s latest creation has been photographed next to a BYD ultra-fast charging station, indicating that it will be compatible with the Flash Charging 2.0 system. The aforementioned second-generation Blade batteries achieve a charging rate of up to 10C, but it wouldn’t be surprising if the new model can improve this figure by featuring solid-state batteries. As a result, it might be able to charge from 10% to 70% in less than 5 minutes and from 10% to 97% in less than 9 minutes.

Source | CarNewsChina