BYD’s Yangwang reveals Altior electric limousine in Abu Dhabi

BYD’s luxury brand Yangwang has taken the covers off its new flagship, the Altior, a 5.6-metre electric limousine with coach doors and a motor for each wheel. It was revealed at a global premiere in Abu Dhabi.

Sold as the Dingyao in China, the Altior was shown on the evening of 7 November, the day after a Yangwang brand event in Dubai. It’s the first time Yangwang has held a full global launch outside China. The brand’s existing line-up includes the U7 sedan, the U8 and U8L SUVs and the U9 supercar.

Pre-orders are already open in China for the Shanhe Dingyun limited edition, priced at RMB 2.08 million (about NZ$525,000) with a RMB 300,000 (about NZ$75,000) deposit. Deliveries are due in the second quarter of 2027, though Yangwang hasn’t said how many it’ll build. An Executive edition will follow, with pricing and timing still to come, and a five-seat version will join the four-seat car shown in Abu Dhabi.

Size and design

At 5,600mm long, 2,030mm wide and 1,590mm tall, the Altior is a big car. Its 3,500mm wheelbase is 35mm longer than a Rolls-Royce Ghost Extended’s, although the Phantom still measures 5,762mm long on a 3,552mm wheelbase. Rear legroom is quoted at 1,209mm, and there’s a 532-litre boot.

The coach doors open to 80° at the front and 90° at the rear, and each one carries an umbrella. Up front, the grille is made up of 137 gem-cut elements, and the badge is 24-carat gold and written in oracle-bone script. There’s also a lidar sensor on the roof.

Drivetrain and chassis

Underneath is the Yisifang four-motor system from BYD’s e4 platform, with each wheel driven independently. As with the U8 SUV, Yangwang says it can turn on the spot, move sideways, stay stable after a tyre blowout and even float in an emergency. Power outputs and battery capacity haven’t been released yet.

The battery is BYD’s second-generation Blade pack on a 1,000V platform with flash charging, and Yangwang claims more than 1,000km of range on China’s CLTC test cycle. To smooth out the ride, the Yunnian active body control system reads the road ahead and adjusts the suspension to reduce bumps and body roll.

Driver assistance comes from the next generation of BYD’s God’s Eye system, running on BYD’s own 4nm Xuanji A3 chip. It handles highway and urban navigation, and can drive the car from one parking space to another.

Inside

The cabin is laid out symmetrically from front to rear, trimmed in semi-aniline leather, metal, real wood and a cashmere carpet, with a floating screen running the full width of the dashboard.

Rear passengers get two individual seats split by a centre console with vehicle controls, along with zero-gravity massage, leg rests and champagne-glass holders. They also have a 21.4-inch folding screen and a 5.5-litre fridge, and everyone gets a 39-speaker Dynaudio sound system with lifting speakers.

The Shanhe Dingyun limited edition goes further again, with two-tone paint, Suzhou embroidery in a cloud pattern, hand-carved Hetian jade air vents and gold speaker grilles.

BYD named the car in late October. Earlier this month, the Yangwang U9 Xtreme recorded 503.17km/h on a closed public highway in Abu Dhabi.