KATHMANDU: Chinese automaker BYD has unveiled the Yangwang Altior, an ultra-luxury electric sedan designed to compete with established premium models, including the Rolls-Royce Phantom, at a global debut event in Abu Dhabi.
The flagship sedan, which is also known by its Chinese name Dingyao, has opened pre-sales in China at USD 311,000. It features a four-seat cabin, rear-hinged coach doors and a range of personalized luxury appointments.
The Altior measures 5,600 mm in length, 2,030 mm in width and 1,590 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 3,500 mm. Its overall length is 201 mm greater than that of the Rolls-Royce Ghost and 400 mm greater than the extended-wheelbase Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
The exterior features a large front grille with 137 gemstone-cut elements, a 24-karat gold emblem and a hand-painted dual coachline. Its headlights incorporate 12 individually rotating elements that perform a lighting sequence when the owner approaches the vehicle.
The front doors open up to 80 degrees, while the rear-hinged coach doors open up to 90 degrees. The rear doors also incorporate storage compartments for umbrellas.
The cabin features jade-decorated air vents, specially crafted seat upholstery and detailed decorative finishes inspired by traditional Chinese aesthetics.
The four-seat interior is designed around passenger comfort, particularly for those traveling in the rear. It offers aviation-style zero-gravity seats with reclining, massage and leg-rest functions, along with electric privacy shades. The rear cabin provides 1,209 mm of legroom.
Other features include a 21.4-inch folding ceiling-mounted entertainment screen, refrigerators for passengers, and a central executive console with a fold-out business table. The cabin also gets a full-width dashboard display, a 39-speaker Dynaudio sound system, leather upholstery and crystal-finished controls.
Altior retains physical buttons and switches alongside its touchscreen display.
Underneath, the sedan is built on BYD’s e⁴ platform and features a four-motor electric drivetrain. Although the company has not disclosed its full power output, the system supports tank turns, crab-walk movement and emergency flotation in water. It can also maintain vehicle stability following a high-speed tyre blowout.
The Altior is equipped with BYD’s DiSus intelligent suspension system, which uses cameras to monitor road conditions ahead and prepare the suspension for bumps and changes in the road surface.
The sedan also features BYD’s next-generation God’s Eye driver assistance system. A second-generation Blade Battery provides a claimed driving range of more than 1,000 kilometers under China’s CLTC testing cycle.
Its 1,000-volt electrical architecture supports megawatt-level fast charging. According to BYD, the battery can be charged from 10 per cent to 70 per cent in approximately five minutes.
The Altior will become the flagship model in Yangwang’s lineup, positioned above the U7 electric sedan, U8 and U8L sport utility vehicles, and U9 electric supercar.
BYD has not announced the customer delivery schedule or confirmed the sedan’s availability in overseas markets.
