BYD names its Yangwang flagship sedan Altior, with a UAE debut in November

BYD has revealed the name of its upcoming Yangwang flagship sedan, previously known by the codename HU. It will be sold internationally as the Yangwang Altior and in China as the Dingyao.

The name was announced in a teaser posted by BYD’s global account on 27 October, marked “Coming soon”. Yangwang general manager Hu Xiaoqing says Altior comes from the Latin for “higher”. The Chinese name was chosen separately: “Ding” is meant to suggest stability and endurance, and “Yao” radiance, like a star.

Hu also confirmed the car will make its world debut in the UAE rather than China, in early November. An exact date has not been announced.

Little confirmed so far

Beyond the name and the teaser, BYD has released few details. Yangwang executive general manager Zheng Yu has said the car will bring “unprecedented disruptive technology”, without saying what that is. Hu says the front end alone went through more than 100 design proposals. The teaser and earlier camouflaged images show rear-hinged rear doors, a roof-mounted lidar and a front end based on the “ding” design of the U8 SUV.

Reports in China put its length at around 5.5 metres, which would place it in the same size class as the Rolls-Royce Phantom and Mercedes-Maybach S-Class, but specifications, powertrain and pricing are still to be confirmed.

The Yangwang range

Yangwang is BYD’s top brand. Its current range includes the U7 electric sedan from RMB 658,000 (approx. US$96,800), the U8 and U8L SUVs, and the U9 electric supercar. The U8L, from RMB 1.45 million (approx. US$213,000), is its most expensive series-production model.

BYD has not announced plans to sell Yangwang models in New Zealand.