ABU DHABI, UAE – BYD has fired its boldest shot yet at the world’s most exclusive luxury brands. The Yangwang Altior, the new flagship sedan of BYD’s high-end Yangwang brand, made its global debut in Abu Dhabi at the Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, before it has even been shown in China. With coach doors, a 3.5-metre wheelbase and four electric motors, it is aimed squarely at the Rolls-Royce Ghost and the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class.
Choosing the UAE for the world premiere is a clear statement about where Yangwang sees its most important luxury customers. The brand already sells the U8 SUV in the Emirates through Al-Futtaim Electric Mobility, and the Altior now becomes the most ambitious car Yangwang has ever built.
A name that means “higher”
Altior is the Latin word for “higher”, a nod to the meaning of Yangwang itself, which translates as “to look up”. In China the car will be called Dingyao. “Ding” refers to the ancient Chinese ceremonial bronze vessel, a symbol of strength and stability, while “yao” stands for radiance. Developed under the codename HU, the car took three years to design, and Yangwang says the front end alone went through more than 100 design proposals.
“The result is a vehicle with luxury in every fibre and power in its soul. ALTIOR represents our vision for the future of Chinese luxury.”
Stella Li, BYD Executive Vice President
Bigger than a Rolls-Royce Ghost
The numbers are imposing. The Altior measures 5,600 mm long, 2,030 mm wide and 1,590 mm tall, riding on a 3,500 mm wheelbase. That makes it longer than both the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class and the standard Rolls-Royce Ghost. A short front overhang, a near-vertical nose and twin character lines that run 4.8 metres along the body give it a formal, architectural stance. Three 21-inch wheel designs are offered, including a fully enclosed cover design.
The grille is treated like a piece of high jewellery, with individually placed elements that catch the light as you walk around the car, framing Yangwang’s oracle-bone-script emblem. When the owner approaches, 12 lighting elements rotate and light up in sequence from the outside towards the centre, a ceremonial welcome that sets the tone before the doors even open.
Coach doors and a private lounge
Access is through rear-hinged coach doors: the front doors open to 80 degrees and the rear doors to a full 90 degrees, with bespoke umbrellas stored inside, inspired by the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests at Beijing’s Temple of Heaven. The launch layout has four seats, arranged symmetrically along a central line that runs from the front display to the rear executive console.
Rear passengers get 1,209 mm of legroom and a pair of aviation-style zero-gravity seats with a mechanical massage system. A single touch folds the front passenger seat forward to open up the view for the VIP in the back, and a one-touch relaxation mode reclines the seats, raises the leg rests, closes the blinds and softens the lighting, sound and fragrance all at once.
Entertainment comes from a powered 21.4-inch overhead screen that also supports conference calls, and a 39-speaker Dynaudio Platinum Evidence sound system whose tweeters rotate and rise when the car starts. There are front and rear refrigerators, the rear one a 5.5-litre unit that can cool or warm. Materials include full-grain semi-aniline leather, pure-wool carpets, natural wood, yellow Hetian jade on the air vents and Suzhou silk embroidery on the seats, with 48 jewellery-inspired controls spread across 11 areas of the cabin. Even the boot is generous for the class, at 532 litres.
Four motors, tank turns and a car that floats
Under the skin sits Yangwang’s e⁴ platform, with four independently controlled electric motors, one at each wheel. The system adjusts the drive to every wheel more than 100 times per second, which Yangwang says keeps the car stable even after a high-speed tyre blowout. Combined output is reported at around 956 kW (1,282 hp).
The same set-up allows party tricks that no Rolls-Royce can match. The Altior can perform a tank turn, spinning on the spot, and it inherits the emergency flotation capability first seen on the U8, designed to help if the car accidentally ends up in water. The next-generation DiSus fully active body control system reads the road ahead and adjusts the suspension in real time across six degrees of freedom to smooth out bumps and control body roll.
It is also the first car to use BYD’s own 4 nm Xuanji A3 assisted-driving chip, which powers the God’s Eye A system with parking-space-to-parking-space navigation, motorway and urban navigation assistance, and automated parking.
More than 1,000 km of range
Power comes from BYD’s second-generation Blade Battery, giving a range of more than 1,000 km (621 miles) on China’s CLTC test cycle. The car supports BYD’s FLASH Charging technology; Yangwang says full charging specifications will be announced separately.
Price, editions and the UAE
The Altior will be offered in Executive and Bespoke editions. The first Bespoke model, the Shanhe Dingyun limited edition, wears a brown-and-gold exterior inspired by mountains and rivers, with jade-themed details inside. In China, pre-orders for this four-seat edition opened at an expected price of 2.08 million yuan (around US$310,000), with a 300,000-yuan deposit and production capped at 399 units worldwide. A five-seat version will follow later.
UAE pricing has not been announced yet. Yangwang is sold in the Emirates by Al-Futtaim Electric Mobility, with showrooms in Dubai Festival City, on Sheikh Zayed Road and at Umm Al Nar in Abu Dhabi, so the Altior is expected to follow the U8 into local showrooms.
Yangwang Altior: key facts
- Type: All-electric ultra-luxury executive sedan
- Size: 5,600 mm long, 3,500 mm wheelbase
- Drive: Four motors (e⁴ platform), around 1,282 hp reported
- Range: Over 1,000 km (CLTC)
- Seats: Four at launch, five-seat version to follow
- China pre-sale: 2.08 million yuan, limited to 399 units
Photos show other models from the Yangwang family, the U9 supercar, U7 sedan and U8 SUV; free-to-use images of the Altior itself are not yet available.