Key highlights
- BYD has priced the Yangwang Altior at 2.08 million yuan, or around $450,000.
- The four-motor sedan claims more than 1,000km of CLTC range.
- Luxury features include four seats, a 39-speaker sound system and active suspension.
BYD has officially revealed the Yangwang Altior, its most expensive and luxurious model yet, as the Chinese carmaker takes aim at established prestige brands such as Rolls-Royce and Bentley.
The flagship sedan will go on sale in China for 2.08 million yuan, equivalent to approximately $450,000 in Australian currency. It will sit at the top of BYD’s Yangwang range, which focuses on high-performance and luxury vehicles.
The Altior adopts an imposing design, with a long bonnet, upright front styling and rear-hinged doors. Its proportions and coach-style entry arrangement draw comparisons with the Rolls-Royce Ghost, although BYD has incorporated design elements inspired by traditional Chinese craftsmanship.
There are currently no plans to introduce the Yangwang Altior to Australia. The company’s premium brand is expected to enter the local market with the U8 luxury SUV, but the sedan’s Australian availability remains unconfirmed.
Read more: BYD’s Yangwang Altior takes luxury EV ambitions to Rolls-Royce territory
A four-seat cabin with luxury-focused equipment
The Yangwang Altior measures 5,600mm long, 2,030mm wide and 1,590mm tall, with a 3,500mm wheelbase. Its substantial dimensions provide the foundation for a cabin designed primarily around rear passenger comfort.
Unlike conventional five-seat sedans, the Altior comes with four individual seats. The rear chairs feature zero-gravity adjustment, massage functions and a relaxation mode that reclines the backrests and raises the legrests.
The relaxation setting also closes the window blinds and adjusts the ambient lighting to create a more comfortable environment for rear occupants.
Other cabin equipment includes semi-aniline leather upholstery, pure-wool floor mats and natural wood trim. Yellow jade detailing is used around the air vents, while traditional Suzhou embroidery features in the seat stitching.
Rear passengers also get a 21.4-inch entertainment screen that folds down from the roof, alongside a 39-speaker Dynaudio sound system with rotating tweeters.
Additional equipment includes front and rear refrigerators, a 532-litre boot and metal-finished cabin controls. BYD says its development team even assessed the sound and feel of metal components by tapping them with small hammers.
Four electric motors and more than 1,000km of claimed range
The Yangwang Altior will use four electric motors, with the company claiming they can adjust torque distribution more than 100 times per second.
BYD has yet to release complete powertrain specifications, including the motors’ combined output and battery capacity. However, the sedan is claimed to deliver more than 1,000km of driving range under China’s CLTC testing cycle.
Interestingly, official cabin images show a fuel-level readout on the dashboard, suggesting the Altior could use a plug-in hybrid or range-extender setup rather than a conventional battery-electric powertrain. BYD has not yet clarified the arrangement.
The sedan will also feature the company’s Flash charging technology. BYD claims it can charge from 10 to 70 per cent in five minutes, with a 10 to 97 per cent charge taking nine minutes.
Ride comfort is handled by DiSus active suspension, which uses cameras to scan the road ahead and prepare the suspension for upcoming bumps and uneven surfaces.
The system is also claimed to offer six degrees of movement, although BYD has not yet detailed all its functions.
Advanced technology and safety features
Beyond its luxury equipment, the Altior will receive BYD’s God’s Eye driver assistance suite, which combines cameras and sensors to support semi-autonomous driving.
The system is designed to assist with journeys from parking spaces to destinations, covering motorway and urban driving as well as automated parking.
The sedan also features several unusual vehicle-control functions. BYD claims it can remain stable following a tyre blowout, turn on the spot using its electric motors and provide emergency flotation capability if it enters water.
More technical details are expected closer to the model’s launch in China and other markets, including the Middle East.
For now, the Yangwang Altior represents a significant step up in price and equipment for BYD, with the Chinese carmaker targeting a segment traditionally dominated by established European luxury brands. Whether it can attract buyers in that market will become clearer once deliveries begin and more details emerge about its performance and engineering.
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