Revealed at Auto Shanghai in April, the Yangwang U8L has finally gone on sale in China, priced from a cool 1,300,000 yuan (RM771,400) – a 202,000 yuan (RM119,900) premium over the U8. The ultra-luxurious version of BYD’s impressive flagship SUV offers much more space in its six seats as well as a more opulent cabin, taking the fight to the likes of the Rolls-Royce Cullinan.
The U8L provides the extra space through a generous increase in length. Officially, the car is only 81 mm longer than the already massive U8 at 5,400 mm, but the original’s 5,319 mm figure includes an external spare tyre that the L version doesn’t come with. More pertinent is the wheelbase, which has grown by a whopping 200 mm, and it appears the rear overhang has also been stretched to fit a third row of seats.
Aside from the gargantuan proportions, the U8L is also differentiated through body-coloured wheel arches, with the “standard” model’s distinctive strakes having been smoothened out. They house optional 23-inch flat alloy wheels with an octagonal “shield” pattern that will look suspiciously familiar to Resident Evil fans.
Then there are the badges, which are made from genuine 24-carat gold and have undergone a 24-step process to finely outline the character on the emblems – the word for “electricity” in oracle bone script. At the back, the U8’s side-opening tailgate has given way to a split-opening one, similar to a Range Rover.
Buyers can opt for two-tone Sun Gold and Obsidian Black paint – said to be a multi-coat finish with a nano ceramic coating – that gives the car a hint of Land Rover Defender. Alternative, there’s a full black option with gold accents, as well as regular Dragon Stone Green and Fluorite White.
Inside, the U8L gains second-row captain’s chairs with “zero gravity” one-touch tilt and recline function (the latter up to 120 degrees, replete with 18-point massage, heated built-in ottomans and seven-inch touchscreen controllers. Those at the back will also be able to enjoy a 21.4-inch drop-down roof monitor, and the front seats can even lie flat so that the second-row passengers can lounge with their legs outstretched.
The seats themselves are upholstered in quilted Nappa leather in either black and brown or purple and grey, matched with black walnut and teak wood trim and thick-pile wool carpets. The windows, meanwhile, feature electrochromic auto-dimming and will even darken if a pedestrian walks past for added privacy.
The rest of the cabin is unchanged, dominated by a large curved 12.8-inch “waterfall” OLED infotainment touchscreen and flanked by 23.6-inch mini-LED instrument and passenger displays. The front occupants aren’t too disadvantaged compared to those in the second row, getting seat heating and ventilation, active side bolsters and 14-point massage.
The climate control uses sensors in all six seats, front and rear door armrests and front centre armrest to control the temperature precisely. Music is piped in through a 32-speaker, 2,040-watt Dynaudio sound system with headrest speakers in each seat and Dolby Atmos support.
The U8’s innovative range-extender powertrain has been left well alone, consisting of four electric motors discharging a towering 1,196 PS (880 kW) and 1,280 Nm of torque, juiced by a 49.05 kWh Blade lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery and a 2.0 litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol generator.
No performance figures have been released just yet, but Yangwang quotes zero-to-100 km/h time of 3.6 seconds and a top speed of 200 km/h for the base U8. That car is also capable of a pure electric range of 180 km and a total range of 1,000 km of the standard U8, both on China’s ridiculously lenient CLTC cycle; expect those figures to be lower for the presumably heavier U8L.
Under the skin, the U8L comes with BYD’s DiSus-P Hydraulic Body Control suspension and is capable of tank turns, driving on three tyres if one of them suffers a blowout and even floating on water, the latter thanks to an IP68 dust- and water-resistance rating for core components. The car also features BYD’s range-topping God’s Eye A (DiPilot 600) driver assistance system with triple lidar sensors, providing highly-automated highway and city driving.
GALLERY: Yangwang U8L at Auto Shanghai 2025
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