BYD has named its Yangwang Altior flagship electric sedan, a car aimed at Rolls-Royce and Maybach with coach doors and possibly solid-state batteries, ahead of a global launch in the UAE.
BYD made its name with cheap EVs like the Seagull, which sells for under $10,000 in China. Now it wants to compete with Rolls-Royce. The company has named its new flagship electric sedan the Yangwang Altior and released a teaser of the partly uncovered car.
It will be BYD’s largest and most luxurious electric sedan yet. Reports suggest it could also bring two firsts for the company: rear-hinged coach doors and solid-state batteries.
What’s in a Name
Yangwang sits at the top of BYD’s brand hierarchy and is where the company shows off its newest technology. Earlier Yangwang models used the quad-motor e4 platform, with 1,300 horsepower and the DiSus-X body control system. That system lets a car jump, “dance” and drive on three wheels.
In China the new sedan will be called DingYao. According to Yangwang general manager Hu Xiaoqing, “Ding” stands for stability and endurance, while “Yao” refers to shining brightly like a star. Altior is Latin for “higher”. Subtle, it isn’t.
Sized for the Limousine Set
Hu shared images of a disguised test car last month. It looked roughly the same shape and size as a Mercedes-Maybach S-Class or Rolls-Royce Phantom. Local reports put its length at about 5,500mm.
The coach doors are confirmed by the teaser and are a first for BYD. Rolls-Royce owners will know the layout well. The car was also pictured at one of BYD’s Flash Charging stations, which suggests it will support megawatt flash charging. BYD hasn’t spelled that out yet.
The Solid-State Question
This is the bit worth watching. Executive general manager Zheng Yu has promised “unprecedented disruptive technology” but hasn’t said what it is. Reports say the Altior will be the first BYD to use solid-state batteries, though the company hasn’t confirmed this.
Timing is the catch. Executive vice president Stella Li said last month that BYD’s first solid-state vehicle will debut in 2027. Battery unit FinDreams plans to start limited production of sulfide-based all-solid-state cells that year. Mass production isn’t expected until closer to the end of the decade. A reveal this November could therefore come well before any solid-state Altior reaches customers.
Launch Plans and Pricing
Hu has confirmed the global launch will take place in the UAE rather than China. BYD hasn’t given a date. However, CarNewsChina cites unnamed sources saying the reveal is planned for Dubai around 5 November.
Prices are rumoured to start at around 2 million yuan, or about $300,000. For context, Yangwang’s current U7 sedan starts at 658,000 yuan ($98,000). The extended U8L SUV, the brand’s most expensive mass-produced model so far, starts at 1.45 million yuan ($217,000).
If that rumour holds, the Altior would cost roughly three times as much as the U7. Choosing Dubai over a home-market launch shows who BYD is after: buyers who usually shop at Bentley and Maybach, and who have never thought of BYD as a luxury brand. Winning them over will be the Altior’s real job.
