A right-hook version of 's luxurious rival to the and has been spotted in China, indicating that exports to right-hand drive markets could begin sooner rather than later. or signup to continue reading Dressed in blue, white and purple wrapping, the right-hand drive was spied near the BYD factory, with images of the beast published by . Luke Todd, chairman and managing director of BYD's Australian distributor EVDirect, told that the Yangwang U8 was under consideration for the local market.
"Yangwang is the luxury brand for BYD and has only recently been released in China, so we can't forecast the timeline of when those vehicles will arrive in Australia," said Mr Todd. "But we are in discussions about potentially bringing the U8 to Australia but that hasn't been confirmed yet." reports sales in RHD markets will begin in 2025.
Left-hand drive versions were displayed in Australian BYD dealerships earlier this year. BYD also displayed the U8 at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK, which suggests it's looking at multiple RHD markets. The U8 measures 5319mm long, 2050mm wide and 1930mm tall on a 3050mm wheelbase, with a larger footprint than the Range Rover.
In contrast to the range of BYD electric vehicles (EV) and plug-in hybrids, the U8 is an extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) with four electric motors. The electric power is supplemented by a 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine that powers a 49.
05kWh Blade battery which is integrated into the vehicle's chassis as part .