BYD debuted its YANGWANG U8 and YANGWANG U9 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. It’s the first time a high-end Chinese brand has unveiled its cars at the festival. The Goodwood Festival of Speed is an annual motorsports festival that takes place in Goodwood House, West Sussex, England. This year, it occurred from July 11 to July 14, 2024.
The theme of the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed was ‘Horseless to Hybrid—Revolution in Power,’ and it’s celebrating 130 years of technological progress.
Every summer, thousands of car fans pilgrimage to Britain’s Goodwood Festival of Speed to witness fast and stunning cars rev their engines amid clouds of smoke.
This year, the crowd that traditionally turns up at the festival with British sports cars was met with a new sight: an array of stunning electric cars from Chinese brands like BYD. For the first time in the motorsports festival’s 31-year history, a luxury Chinese brand in the million-RMB range is part of the lineup.
The luxury Chinese brand BYD showcased YangWang U8 and YangWang U9 at the festival. The SUV, YangWang U8, represents BYD’s 20 years of innovation and promotes advanced technologies.
The car is powered by a 4WD system with four motors delivering 880 kW (1,180 HP) and can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.6 seconds. The DiSus suspension of the vehicle can execute tank turns and float on water.
YangWang U9 is an all-electric supercar that sits on the e4 platform and is equipped with BYD’s DiSus X suspension system. It is an AWD that can accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in 2.36 seconds and drag race time for 400 meters in 9.78 seconds.
The car can spin at 21,000 rpm. Four electric motors power YangWang U9 with a total output of 960 kW (1,287 HP) and 1,680 Nm peak torque. The supercar was tested on the famous Shanghai International Circuit, and the official top speed of the car is 309.19 km/h, reaching the lap time of 2 minutes, 17 seconds, and 65 milliseconds. The YangWang U9 captivated the crowd with a dance in place due to its intelligent body control system.
Showcasing YangWang U8 and YangWang U9 at Goodwood Festival of Speed allowed British racing fans to experience the unprecedented new energy vehicle (NEV) technologies and witness the pioneering products that will drive the future of the automotive industry.