BYD Yangwang Altior

BYD is the world’s leading electric vehicle by volume. So while Tesla gets all the headlines, for reasons good and bad, the Chinese automaker is simply sweeping the EV world. A few days ago the company made worldwide headlines when its Yangweng U9 Xtreme broke through the magical 500 km/h mark. And now the Yangwang Altior is aiming to add to the share of media coverage the brand is getting.

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Aiming high

Yangwang is the luxury arm of BYD, in much the same way as Lexus is to Toyota or Maybach is to Mercedes-Benz. It’s latest creation is called the Altior, which is Latin for ‘higher’, which leaves little room for interpretation as to where BYD is aiming with the uber-luxury saloon. Based on the styling, size and a few ‘borrowed’ cues, we think that BYD is aiming all the way to the top, ie at Rolls Royce.

Large…

The Altior is no shrinking violet. It is 5,6 m in length, 2,03 m wide and has a 3,5 m wheelbase, which should contribute to business class levels of legroom. There is 740 mm between the front-wheel centre and the pedals. The short front overhang and near-vertical front surface are not dissimilar that of the RR Phantom. The Altior also features coach doors and pop-out brollies in the doors… sound familiar? 21-inch alloys are shod with 275/45 low-noise tyres.

Wolfgang Egger, design director of BYD says the Altior was Inspired by the ancient Chinese Ding, a symbol of strength, dignity and harmony, we have translated thousands of years of cultural heritage into a contemporary expression of ultra-luxury. From its commanding proportions to the intricate details of its interior, every element has been carefully crafted to create a sense of timeless elegance.

The exterior treatment almost pales in comparison to the interior. Full-grain semi-aniline leather, pure-wool floor mats and selected natural woods are all standard fare. In addition there are real-metal switches for tactility. Hetian jade is hand-polished into smooth, rounded surfaces on the air-vent detailing. The upholstery has Suzhou embroidery with split silk threads to create flowing cloud motifs along with ‘cloud-and-thunder’ patterns.

The Altior is a strict four seater with precedence given to those in the rear of the cabin. A pair of aviation-style zero-gravity seats each features a mechanical massage system with four ball-shaped massage heads. A one-touch relaxation mode coordinates seating, lighting, sound and fragrance. The seats recline, leg rests rise, sun blinds close and ambient lighting softens, while massage functions work across several areas of the body.

There is a 39-speaker Dynaudio sound system and a 21,4-inch overhead screen, in conjucntion with the massive front infotainment interface for, presumably, the staff up front. There are also two refrigerator, one in the front and one in the rear that can also keep things warm. Take a tour through the cabin in the video below.

…and on charge

As expected, the BYD Yangwang Altior is an EV. A quad-motor electric architecture powers the Altior, with each motor powering a wheel independently. That arrangement allows it to do tank turns ie turn on the spot and like its U8 sibling can also float if it enters water. We can’t see any situation where either of those will be of use to a car of this size, but it’s good to know they’re there.

A control system adjusts the car’s suspension and power at each wheel 100 times per second. The fully active body control system reads the road ahead and adjusts the suspension in real time to reduce disturbances from the road surface while controlling body movement through corners – neat.

BYD has yet to release any power or performance figures (not that the latter should matter in a car of this type), but its press material says that Second-Generation Blade Battery provides an all-electric range of more than 1,000 km on the CLTC combined cycle. That is a handy figure for a car that will, invariably, never leave the confines of a single city.