Yangwang Altior is a palace on wheels with Rolls-Royce in its sights
BYD's luxury brand has a new flagship model, and it's designed to deliver emperor status
Yangwang has unveiled its flagship car, an electric saloon that is aimed squarely at the Rolls-Royce Phantom. Fresh on the heels of its record-breaking fastest production car run in Abu Dhabi, it followed up with something much more refined.
Chinese luxury is steeped in heritage, so rather than imitate British aristocracy, Yangwang embodies Chinese emperors in its new flagship car, the Altior. Altior is Latin for highest, while the car’s Chinese name, Dingyao, directly references the Ding, a Chinese vessel or cauldron created in the Shang dynasty and earlier, which stood as a symbol of power and status.
The Chinese character for Ding is mirrored in the front grille of the car, formed by the lights, while its symbolism is followed through every aspect of this car. The message here is that the Altior is a symbol of success.
Despite it being over 5.6 metres in length, the Altior has just four seats, giving both front and rear passengers lashings of space. The rear seats offer aviation-style leg supports and massage functions, with a one-touch system to set your recline, lighting, audio and even the subtle deployment of a fragrance.
There's also a one-touch privacy option, which closes the blinds on all windows, including the divider to the front passengers. This creates a completely private space – ideal for dignitaries or celebrities travelling through the city and not wanting to be seen.
The Altior features coach doors, so the rear doors open forwards, like a Rolls-Royce. This, according to BYD, creates an opening like a palace gate. Though it also features custom umbrellas in the doors, like a Rolls.
Entertainment-wise, there's a 39-speaker Dynaudio sound system on board, which includes four speakers in each headrest, to give private audio to each person. There's also a 21.4-inch overhead screen in the rear and a 5.5-litre rear fridge in addition to a smaller front unit.
As you might expect from BYD, albeit an extremely luxurious one, there's plenty of driving tech on board too. The Altior features the Yangwang's e4 platform used in the U8 SUV, with independently controlled motors for each of the four wheels. This allows it to perform a tank turn for additional manoeuvring and to keep on the road after a high-speed blowout or shunt. It also has the same flotation abilities, allowing it to drive in the water in case of an emergency.
Little detail was revealed on the power specs of the car, however, aside from a projected range of 1000km (621 miles). This is quoted based on China's CLTC rating, which is equivalent to around 526 miles using Europe's WLTP rating or 384 miles using the USA's EPA rating.
We're told the price for the Altior is in the Bentley / Rolls-Royce ball-park but no exact numbers were given. At this level, that's fairly common though, especially as customisation can hugely affect the final bill – and also if you have to ask, you probably can't afford it.
