BYD’s luxury Yangwang brand is launching a new three-row variant of its off-road luxury U8 SUV. The new U8 model will challenge Range Rover and Defender in the larger luxury SUV segment. The new SUV was spotted in China ahead of its official debut later this month.
BYD launched its new high-end Yangwang brand last January, unveiling two models: The U8 off-road SUV and the U9 electric supercar. Last November, the brand launched its first model, the U8, with starting prices over $150,000 (1,089,000 yuan). That’s quite the difference from BYD’s popular low-cost EVs like , which starts at under $10,000 (69,800 yuan) in China.
Viewed as a Mercedes G-Class and rival, the U8 is packed with features like float mode and tank turns. In fact, BYD claims the U8 can plow through 100 mm more water than a Defender. The standard model can wade up to 1,000 mm (39′′), while the Off-Road Master model can wade through up to 1,400 mm (55′′).
With four e-motors, the U8 has up to 1,180 hp (880 kW) and 1,290 Nm torque. All that power is good for a 0 to 62 mph (0 to 100 km/h) sprint in 3.6 seconds.
Although it has a 49 kWh BYD Blade Battery, it’s an EREV. With a 75L fuel tank, the U8 gets up to 621 miles (1,000 km) CLTC range. According to , the three-row U8 was spotted on a tow truck in China.
You can see slight design changes, like a longer wheelbase and rear overhang. The U8’s main design elements, like the bold front grille and headlights, remain the same. The spare wheel is als.