- BYD released a video of its $233,000 electric supercar leaping over potholes and road spikes.
- The Yangwang U9 comes with intelligent suspension that allows it to “jump” up to six meters forward.
- The U9 is part of BYD’s efforts to diversify into luxury EVs as it looks to take on Tesla.
BYD’s most expensive EV has a novel way of dealing with potholes.
The Chinese Tesla rival launched its first supercar, the $233,400 Yangwang U9, last year and has now shown off the luxury EV’s ability to “jump” over potholes and road spikes in a new video.
In the video, released on BYD’s Weibo account on Monday, an autonomously-driven U9 accelerates to 120 km/h before using its suspension to launch itself up to six meters forward over a pothole, a set of road spikes, and a chalk flag.
BYD is known for its ultra-cheap electric vehicles, such as the $10,000 Seagull, but like other Chinese automakers, it is now expanding into higher-end luxury vehicles.
The company began selling the U9, which has a top speed of 192 mph and can sprint from 0 to 62 km/h in just 2.36 seconds in February 2024.
The luxury EV can charge from 30-80% in just 10 minutes and is packed with futuristic features.
Its DiSus-X intelligent suspension allows the U9 to leap over small holes, “dance” to music, and drive with only three wheels, as the company showed off at the vehicle’s launch last year.
BYD’s Yangwang brand offers its most high-end models. The Yangwang U8 hybrid SUV, which BYD began selling in April 2023, comes with an onboard drone and can even float on water for short periods.
While the Tesla rival’s luxury offerings frequently turn heads, BYD’s in-demand affordable EVs and hybrids have turned the company into arguably Elon Musk’s most potent challenger.
The Chinese automaker announced record annual sales earlier this month and is expanding into a host of new markets. BYD announced on Tuesday that it was sending nearly 5,000 electric vehicles to Europe aboard its third purpose-built container ship.
