“That’s a Rolls-Royce!” could easily be the first reaction when someone spots the BYD Yangwang Altior from a distance. With its grand front grille and rear-hinged coach doors, the vehicle commands a familiar, high-tier luxury presence. A closer look reveals an electric flagship from BYD’s luxury brand, Yangwang.
Unveiled in Abu Dhabi, the Altior brings together an imposing design, a spacious four-seat cabin and a range of advanced technologies. It also gets four independently controlled electric motors and a claimed driving range of over 1,000km on the CLTC cycle. With its coach-style rear doors, handcrafted cabin details and several comfort features, the Yangwang Altior is clearly designed to compete in the ultra-luxury segment.
Exterior: Large proportions and coach doors
The Altior takes inspiration from the ancient Chinese ceremonial bronze vessel called a ding. It has a short front overhang and character lines running 4.8 metres along the body.
Key specifications:
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Length | 5,600mm |
| Width | 2,030mm |
| Height | 1,590mm |
| Wheelbase | 3,500mm |
The front grille has individually polished elements around the oracle-bone-script emblem. Its lighting system uses 12 elements that light up in sequence as the owner approaches.
The sedan gets 21-inch wheels in three designs with 275/45 tyres. The front doors open up to 80 degrees, while the rear coach doors open to 90 degrees. Each door also houses an umbrella.
Interior: A four-seat luxury cabin
The Altior has a four-seat layout and a wide dashboard display. Materials include semi-aniline leather, natural wood, wool mats and metal switches.
Yellow Hetian jade features around the air vents. The seats get Suzhou silk embroidery inspired by Chinese designs. Rear passengers have two zero-gravity seats with four ball-shaped massage heads.
Other features include:
- 39-speaker Dynaudio Platinum Evidence sound system
- Powered 21.4-inch overhead screen with screen-sharing support
- Dual sunroofs and multi-zone climate control
- Wireless chargers for rear passengers
- Front and rear refrigerators, including a 5.5-litre rear unit with cooling and warming
- 532-litre boot
Relaxation mode adjusts the seats, leg rests, sunblinds, lighting, sound and fragrance.
Powertrain, range and technology
The Altior uses BYD’s e4 platform, with four independently controlled electric motors, one for each wheel. It adjusts torque more than 100 times per second. BYD says this can help maintain stability during situations such as a high-speed tyre blowout.
A second-generation Blade Battery offers a claimed range of over 1,000km on the CLTC cycle. Flash Charging is supported, but charging figures are not announced.
It also gets tank-turn, emergency flotation and DiSus active body control. God’s Eye A provides city and highway navigation and parking assistance.
Executive and Bespoke editions
The Altior will be offered in two versions:
- Executive: The standard version with luxury equipment.
- Bespoke: A limited-run version with unique colours and details. Its first theme, Shanhe Dingyun, gets a brown and gold exterior and a jade-inspired cabin.
Price and availability
BYD has not announced the Altior’s price or confirmed the markets where it will be sold. Power and charging figures are yet to be shared.
The Yangwang Altior combines a large electric platform, extensive rear-seat equipment and design details drawn from Chinese heritage. Its final market positioning will become clearer once BYD announces its sales plans for the global luxury car market.