Yangwang U9 History

The U9 was first unveiled alongside the U8 at BYD's January 2023 event and officially launched for sale in China on February 25, 2024, at a starting price of ¥1.68 million (approximately US$233,000). Mass production began on August 16, 2024. It is a rear-mid-engine-layout battery electric two-seater — Yangwang describes it as a 'super coupe' — and it shares the e⁴ individual wheel drive platform with the U8, placing a 240 kW (322 hp) permanent-magnet synchronous motor at each wheel for a combined output of 960 kW (1,287 hp) and 1,680 Nm of torque.

Performance figures are genuinely dramatic: the production U9 runs 0–100 km/h in 2.36 seconds and reaches a top speed of 309 km/h. BYD's DiSus-X Intelligent Body Control System — an active hydraulic suspension with 75 mm of travel — allows the car to raise, lower, lean, or 'jump' on command. A filmed demonstration showed the U9 driving normally after a tyre was deflated, relying on the remaining three corners. The battery is an 80 kWh BYD Blade LFP pack, good for a CLTC range of roughly 450 km (sources vary; ~450–465 km) — the U9 is positioned as a performance showcase rather than a range vehicle.

In September 2025 BYD unveiled the U9 Xtreme, a track-focused variant that replaces the standard motors with TZ240XYA units producing 555 kW (744 hp) each — a combined 2,220 kW (2,977 hp), claimed to make it the most powerful production car ever built at the time of its reveal. The standard U9 price was raised 7% to ¥1.8 million (approximately US$252,000) in October 2025.