BYD brand YangWang has unveiled its fully electric SUV, the U8, a ladder-framed model that will be pitched against future electric versions of the Land Rover Defender and the Mercedes-Benz G-Class.

The YangWang U8 has been claimed to measure 5,300 mm long with a wheelbase of 3,050 mm, and rides on 20-inch wheels shod in tyres measuring 275/60. For comparison, the Land Rover Defender in 110 guise measures 5,018 mm long including its tailgate-mounted spare wheel, 2,105 mm wide and 1,967 mm tall with a wheelbase of 3,022 mm.

According to Car News China, the electric motors in the U8 produce in the region of 220-240 kW (299 PS to 326 PS), and peak torque that ranges from 320 Nm to 420 Nm, for combined outputs of up to 1,304 PS and 1,680 Nm of torque.

The U8 uses BYD’s Blade batteries, though battery capacity and range for this electric SUV have not been revealed; its electric powertrain is what the manufacturer calls the e4 platform, where independent operation of each motor enables the U8 to perform manoeuvres such as the tank turn, and will include various drive modes including ice and snow, sand, a ‘floating water’ mode.

Thus equipped, the YangWang U8 does the 0-100 km/h sprint in a claimed three seconds, and its independent motor control offers real-time torque output regulation of up to 1,000 times per second to aid the driver in controlling the vehicle in the event of a tyre blowout, and BYD claims that the YangWang U8 can continue to be driven at up to 120 km/h with a flat tyre.

The U8 is the first model to emerge from the YangWang brand, and pricing for the electric SUV is expected to start from 1 million yuan (RM649,290).

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