BYD Yangwang Altior limousine unveiled: 5.6 m long, 1,000 km range

Chinese carmaker BYD has unveiled the Yangwang Altior, a luxury limousine 5.6 metres long, which makes it 400 mm longer than the long-wheelbase Mercedes S-Class. Series production starts next year, initially as a limited run, and the price has not yet been announced.

A flagship above the U7, U8 and U9

Altior is Latin for “higher”. In the Yangwang lineup, the model sits above the U7 sedan, the U8 SUV and the U9 hypercar. According to the brand’s representatives, the car is meant to “combine the depth of Chinese culture with a modern vision of ultra-luxury”. The emphasis is on handcraft and China’s “thousand-year-old aesthetic traditions”.

A striking example of this approach is the intricately ornamented radiator grille. Umbrellas with a signature pattern are hidden in the rear doors, and the doors themselves open backwards, rear-hinged, as on a Rolls-Royce, which clearly served as the model here.

Cabin: jade, silk and champagne

The interior is dominated by a huge screen, but the brand claims that build quality has not been neglected either. That cannot be verified yet, as journalists are not being allowed near the pre-production prototype. The air vents are decorated with a special Chinese variety of jade, and the seats are trimmed using a traditional technique of splitting silk coverings.

As in the BMW i7, there is a 21.4-inch screen in the rear that drops down from the ceiling and can be used for conference calls and entertainment. Refrigerators in the front and rear keep champagne permanently chilled for passengers.

Four motors and a long range

The Altior is built on the same architecture as other Yangwang models and will get a similar electric powertrain with four motors; the exact output has not yet been announced. The car is equipped with the advanced DiSus active suspension system, which scans the road ahead and prepares the car in advance for bumps and changes in surface.

Detailed technical specifications have not yet been confirmed, but the manufacturer promises a range of more than 1,000 km on a single charge, though measured under the more lenient Chinese CLTC cycle.

According to BYD Vice President Stella Li, the model will be offered worldwide, but the arrival of the luxury Yangwang division on the European market has not yet been confirmed.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz