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Credit: BYDQUICK SUMMARY
Chinese carmaker BYD is bringing its luxury Yangwang brand to Europe, with a high-end SUV and exotic electric supercar ready to do battle with the biggest names in automotive.
BYD also says more Yangwang models will be along soon, to sit above its other new brand, Denza, which is set to take on Audi and BMW.
Chinese carmaker BYD has confirmed it’ll bring its luxury Yangwang brand to Europe, where a high-end hybrid SUV and electric supercar could ruffle some feathers.
BYD already sells competitively-priced electric cars like the Atto 3, Seal and Dolphin in the UK and several European countries. But now it plans to go after the luxury end of the market with its Yangwang sub-brand.
The confirmation of Yangwang’s expansion comes as another BYD brand, called Denza, plans to also enter Europe, where it is expected to rival the likes of Audi and BMW. Yangwang is expected to sit above Denza, with its products going after luxury brands like Porsche and Bentley, and even supercar royalty like Ferrari.
Speaking to Autocar, BYD vice president Stella Li said that “our plan is that we will bring Yangwang to Europe,” after Denza arrives here in early 2026. Without giving away any concrete plans, Li suggested both the U8 and U9 are likely to come to Europe, with more cars to follow.
Credit: BYDYou might already be familiar with the circa-£120,000 Yangwang U8, a massive hybrid SUV with Land Rover Defender-esque styling and an electric powertrain backed up by a petrol range-extender. Total output is over 1,000 horsepower, and thanks to a four-motor drivetrain it can perform on-the-spot, 360-degree ‘tank turns’.
A 49.1 kWh battery pack delivers an electric-only range of 112 miles (using China’s official range test), but this is aided by a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, turbocharged engine that acts as a range-extender and means the U8 can travel significantly further than when on battery power alone.
The U8 is also claimed to function as a boat, at least for short periods – such as when escaping flash flooding – and is packed with connected technology.
At the other end of Yangwang’s catalogue is the U9, an electric supercar with a top speed of over 230 mph. It also has a quad-motor drivetrain, this time producing over 1,00 horsepower, and a 0-62 mph time of under 2.4 seconds. Although rivalling the circa-£2m Rimac Nevera on paper, the U9 could cost significantly less if BYD brings it to Europe – in China it currently costs the equivalent of around £180,000.
I can’t wait to see how all this pans out. BYD has already proved itself at the budget end of the UK and European markets, so it will be fascinating to see if its Denza brand can upset the middle classes – and if Yangwang can truly upset the established elite.
