The biggest trend in motoring circles over the past few years has been the rapid influx of Chinese cars into world markets.
While there was some initial chin-scratching about these new arrivals – trust doesn't come easily when shelling out for a product that is considerably more expensive than a supermarket sandwich – attitudes seem to be changing. There has been a noticeable warming to the newbies, not least because of the wallet-friendly price of many of the cars now on offer.
There is one manufacturer that stands out as making a particularly bold bid to get the attention of the planet’s car buyers, though, and that brand is BYD.
The company celebrated its 30th anniversary late last year, which, when you consider the age of history’s most prominent car manufacturers, makes it something of an automotive babe-in-arms.
The range it now offers, though, is replete with sophisticated electric or plug-in hybrids. The National witnessed BYD's wares first-hand at its headquarters in Shenzhen, a city in south-east China.
So prevalent is BYD in these environs (the manufacturer employs more than a million people there, for instance), you might think there would be moves afoot to adopt the company name as part of the region’s official moniker.
The brand already has a decent range available for buyers in the Middle East, including the fully electric Han and Seal, both sedans, and the Atto 3, a compact crossover. These sit alongside plug-in hybrids Song and Qin, an SUV and a coupe respectively.
There are three vehicles spearheading BYD’s foray into the future, though, one of which we can expect to see in the region imminently.
Fans of budget vehicles will be especially happy with the BYD Dolphin, though this is not one destined for the Middle East yet. It does, however, represent something of a milestone. This is a zippy little electric town car that will appeal to urban commuters with a penchant for vehicles like the Fiat 500.
It has a good straight-line performance and is an amusing car to move about in. The Dolphin is notable as its price lays down a marker in the field of affordable electric motoring, given that finding ways to offer inexpensive fossil fuel-free rides is a goal the entire automotive industry is chasing.
The car’s current international base price starts at US$30,000, which is hard to beat.
The import we can expect to see in the UAE comes from Yangwang, an upmarket offshoot of BYD (think Lexus by way of Toyota). Since its inception in 2023, it has already unveiled a number of vehicles.
The first of these the fledgling brand introduced was the U8, a full-sized plug-in hybrid SUV.
Words such as robust and capable are often used to describe muscular vehicles, but the term is entirely apt here – the U8 is powered by a two-litre turbocharged petrol engine paired with four electric motors. This gives it a mighty 1,180hp, 1,280Nm of torque and a 0-100kph time of 3.6 seconds.
Not only does the car float should the need arise, but it can also crabwalk, allowing you to get out of sticky situations in the wild as well as nudge in and out of narrow parking spaces. U8s are currently on sale for about US$215,000, but evidently regional pricing will vary.
While there is a question mark (for now) about the third latest BYD making it to our shores, the performance figures make it worth a mention. We’re moving into supercar territory now, with BYD’s Yangwang U9, a name that gives little clue as to the true nature of this vehicle, particularly bearing in mind the U8 is an SUV.
This one can rub bumpers with the most blistering road-going cars on the planet. The U9 is another one with four electric motors, here delivering a combined output of 1,287hp and 1,680Nm of torque.
This is enough grunt to get it up to 100kph in about two seconds and deliver a top speed north of 300kph.
While regional availability and pricing remain unconfirmed, at the moment the U9 is on sale for US$230,000. Put in context, that is about a quarter of the price of some of its supercar rivals with similar performance figures.
