BYD’s Yangwang Altior Unveiled: China’s Challenger To The Rolls-Royce Ghost?
BYD's flagship luxury brand takes on the ultra-luxury segment with an all-electric sedan featuring suicide doors, lounge-like rear seats and a claimed 1,000 km-plus range!
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Chinese carmakers have come a long way from being known primarily for affordable alternatives to established global brands. Over the years, they have made significant strides in electric vehicle technology, performance and luxury, and are now setting their sights on the ultra-premium end of the market. The best example is the recent feat of the Yangwang U9 Ultra, creating the top-speed world record!
With its imposing proportions, rear-hinged coach doors, a.k.a. suicide doors, opulent four-seat cabin and a claimed range of over 1,000 km on the CLTC cycle, the Altior appears to have its sights set on established luxury names such as the Rolls-Royce Ghost.
But what does BYD's new flagship bring to the table? Let's take a closer look.
Yangwang Altior: Exterior
The Altior has the typical large and stately stance of an ultra-luxury sedan. However, looking at it, the shape also reminds us of the Rolls-Royces. Up front, the LED lighting steals the show. The crystal effect in the elaborate LED DRL, flows from the fender all the way to the lower half of the bumper. Interestingly, it resembles the design in the Yangwang logo.
Meanwhile, the fascia consists of a large faux grille with chrome elements and the gold Yangwang logo. Overall, the stately sedan does exude a bold and confident presence.
Over to the side, this is where the Altior looks the most like the luxury cars we are familiar with. Elements including the long bonnet, large doors, the heavily chrome-plated window lines and the sloping bootline scream luxury.
Over to the rear, the Altior takes a more simplistic approach in comparison to the rest of the car. The tail lamps also have a crystal-like effect and are neatly integrated with the chrome accent running across the width of the car. The bumper is also tastefully executed, with a slim chrome strip running across the width and the reflectors housed right below.
Yangwang Altior: Interior
Yangwang has gone for a retro-modern theme in the Altior. The mix of the wooden trims, chrome-finished AC vents and leather, along with the large touchscreen dominating the look of the dashboard. Meanwhile, the two-spoke steering wheel with the gold logo and the neatly executed ambient lighting in the interior give it a modern luxury feel inside.
Getting into the back seats through the rear-hinged doors will reveal the large ottoman-like seats with massive legroom. Each backseat passenger gets a dedicated screen to control the rear entertainment, shades, seat's positions and the air conditioning.
The interior here is expectedly finished in premium materials, and the second sunroof makes the back seat feel extra special.
Yangwang Altior: Features & Safety
The Chinese luxury car is expectedly loaded with a lot of technology and features, including a large touchscreen for the infotainment and co-driver, a digital driver’s display, and an extra 21.4-inch entertainment screen, powered seats with massage function, a 39-speaker Dynaudio sound system and a 5.5-litre refrigerator at the back.
The Altior also packs in some cutting-edge technology like active chassis control that reads the road ahead and adjusts the suspension in real time.
Yangwang Altior: What Will It Go Up Against?
Being the ultra-luxury car it is, it will go up against the likes of the Rolls-Royce Ghost, the Mercedes-Benz Maybach S-Class, and the Bentley Flying Spur.
CarDekho Says…
The Yangwang Altior had a grand global unveiling in Abu Dhabi, showcasing what the Chinese could bring to the top of the food chain in the automotive luxury segment. Its parent company, BYD, has been among the top Chinese automotive players, also thanks to a slew of sub-brands catering to different segments around the world.
Despite the Altior’s technical specifications being sparse as of now, it is not something a typical ultra-luxury car buyer is looking for. However, the Altior is rated to have over 1000 km of range per charge, as per the CLTC cycle.
Looking at the Altior, it sure packs the presence, feel, and opulence to be placed among the top luxury cars out there. However, it remains to be seen if the world is ready for an alternative for those who would typically be looking to buy themselves a Rolls-Royce.
