By Greg Gao
(JW Insights) Sep 21 -- Chinese automaker BYD officially launched the high-end off-road SUV U8 under its premium Yangwang brand on September 20,
The vehicle is equipped with a 4nm 5G chip developed by Qualcomm, featuring a unique 12.8-inch OLED curved screen with a five-screen linkage and a 70-inch AR-HUD display. It also supports full-scenario intelligent voice control.
The U8 boasts the e4 technology - a notable feat, being China’s first mass-produced quad-motor independent drive technology platform. This technology offers precise control of dynamics on all wheels, thanks to its independent vector control technology. The platform supports functions such as a 360-degree tank turn on highly-adhesive pavements such as tarmac, emergency floating, and stable driving after tire blowout.
The new car carries a pre-sale price of RMB1.098 million(about $150,000).
In terms of intelligent driving, the Yangwang U8 is equipped with 3 LiDAR sensors, 5 millimeter-wave radar sensors, 14 ultrasonic radar sensors, 16 cameras, and an NVIDIA Orin autonomous driving processor with a computing power of 508 TOPS. This enables advanced driver assistance functions such as high-speed navigation assistance, urban navigation assistance, high-level auxiliary driving, as well as adaptive cruise control and automatic parking, achieving Level 2 advanced driver assistance capabilities.
This beast boasts a whopping 1,100 horsepower and can zoom from 0 to 62 mph in a mere 3.6 seconds. Its CLTC pure electric range is 112 miles. The car also has fast-charging capabilities - from a 30 percent charge to 80 percent in just 18 minutes. The U8 is an EREV (Extended Range Electric Vehicle), and courtesy of the onboard generator, it has a combined range of 620 miles - according to Yangwang.
