Following the launch of mass-market electric vehicles (EVs) in Australia, BYD is now seen to be shifting focus to more premium off-road vehicles, as a couple of high-end models have been spotted driving on local roads.
The bloke took a photo of a Yangwang U8 SUV in the town of Warragul in Victoria.
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Taking the U8 to Australia is on the cards, although no concrete plans have been confirmed just yet. There’ve also been reports that the U8 will hit the sales charts in other right-hand drive markets this year.
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This isn’t the first time the U8 has been spotted in Australia, as a left-hand drive demonstration vehicle has already been seen in local BYD car yards for a while now.
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The U8 is 5319mm long, 2050mm wide and 1930mm tall, and has a 3050mm wheelbase, giving it a bigger footprint than its luxury rivals.
It’s an extended-range electric vehicle (EREV), and features four electric motors, a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine, and a 49.05kWh Blade lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery – good for total combined outputs of 880kW of power and 1280Nm of torque, and a 0-100km/h time of 3.6 seconds.
Electric-only range’s supposed to be 180km, but the overall range is tipped to be more than 1000km. Luxury features include Nappa leather trim and six screens, but this massive 3460kg machine’s unique party trick is being able to float in deep water for up to half an hour.
That’ll set you back around $238,000.
They’re not the only four-wheel drive that BYD has been giving a run in Australia.
A group on Facebook had an image of another boxy, camouflaged SUV, the Fangchengbao Bao 5, that was spied testing in left-hand drive in south-east Melbourne.
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Featuring a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol motor and 2 electric motors.
G’day mate, the ute’s power and torque outputs have been give a fair bash, with nearly 200kW and over a hundred Nm more under the bonnet compared to the original, with the Chinese market getting a chock-a-block 505kW and 760Nm. It’ll allegedly go from zero to 100km/h in just 4.8 seconds.
The car went on sale in China in November of that year. Its motors are powered by a 31.8kWh Blade LFP battery, with a claimed electric-only range of up to 125 kilometres.
With an unladen weight of 2,890kg, it greatly surpasses the U8 in terms of weight, and it boasts a body-on-frame construction that incorporates an integrated battery pack. Higher-specification Chinese models also come equipped with hydraulic active suspension.
It also features off-road gear such as three differential locks and a tank turn function, plus a range of interior technology like several screens and a 50-inch in-your-line-of-sight display.
It’s significantly cheaper in China compared to the U8, with prices ranging from ¥239,800 (approximately A$52,000) to ¥302,800 (approximately A$66,000).
BYD Australia still hasn’t confirmed what vehicles will be available under the Denza brand when it arrives here in 2025. The Denza brand at the moment only sells plug-in hybrid and electric cars.
