The YangWang brand, a new luxury and performance sub-brand under BYD, has been launched to compete with the likes of Audi, Mercedes, BMW, and other luxury car manufacturers in China.
The U9 is a sleek, yellow, futuristic-looking supercar, that was unveiled in January, joining the growing market of all-electric supercars and hypercars such as NIO EP9s, Lotus Evijas, Rimac Neveras, and Pininfarina Battistas.
The YangWang U9 shares its EV platform with the YangWang U8 SUV, featuring four 275 hp electric motors, one for each wheel, resulting in a combined torque output of 1,280 Nm and a claimed 0 to 100 km/h acceleration in just 2 seconds.
While the car is said to have a minimum 100 kWh battery providing a range of 700 km under CLTC testing rules, achieving such range in reality may be challenging. Nonetheless, even a range of 400 km would be impressive for a car with such striking aesthetics.
DiSus is an active suspension system developed by BYD that enables a vehicle to jump in the air and drive safely even if it has a damaged or missing wheel or tire.
The system, which was unveiled at a tech showcase in Shenzhen, China, on Monday, aims to improve safety and comfort by preventing rollovers and minimizing body movements of the occupants during high-speed cornering or hard accelerating and braking. It also allows the vehicle to maintain agility and stability in most driving conditions.
BYD demonstrated the functionality of the DiSus system in two videos. One video shows the U9 electric hypercar from BYD’s new premium brand Yangwang bouncing on each of its corners before leaping into the air with all four wheels off the ground. Another video shows the U9 driving smoothly and controlledly with a wheel missing.
BYD has created four versions of the DiSus system: DiSus-C (Intelligent Damping Body Control System), DiSus-A (Intelligent Air Body Control System), DiSus-P (Intelligent Hydraulic Body Control System), and DiSus-X. The company did not explain what the DiSux-X system does, but it said it was the one used in the U9.
The company also said that some of the DiSus systems use on-board sensors, such as lidar, to determine the level of suspension support needed.
BYD did not say when it will release DiSus, but it said it plans to introduce the technology gradually across its brands, starting with DiSus-P in the Yangwang U8 SUV, DiSus-A in the Denza N7 crossover, and DiSus-C in the BYD Han and Tang models, as well as some models from the Denza brand.
