Get to know BYD’s Fanchengbao, Denza and Yangwang sub-brands
To the average non-car enthusiast Filipino car buyer, BYD is all about electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles like the ever-present Sealion 6 SUV and the Seal 5 sedan. Their claim to fame are their upscale Euro-inspired styling and their phenomenal 1,000-plus-kilometer driving ranges on a full tank and a full charge.
But did you know that, product-wise, the current BYD lineup we have is just the virtual tip of the iceberg? We flew to BYD’s state-of-the-art headquarters and cutting-edge facilities in Shenzhen and Zhengzhou to get to know the luxury and high-performance side of the BYD Group. And these new facets are represented by BYD’s premium brand, Denza, as well as its ultra-luxury/high-performance label, Yangwang.
Fanchengbao
Fangchengbao is the premium EV sub-brand of BYD. It was established in 2023 and produces high-performance plug-in hybrid and battery electric compact to full-size SUVs with above-average on- and off-road capabilities. And by above-average, I mean I watched it effortlessly negotiate an off-road obstacle course—including going down stairs. The amazing part was that the driver didn’t tell us that we were approaching a flight of concrete steps going down and just drove down through it without slowing down and without telling us. It felt just like little bumps until he told us to look back and we were amazed that we just went down a staircase. That’s how good the suspension was.
Denza
Denza is the premium-luxury BEV and PHEV brand under the BYD umbrella. The brand offers a more upscale design as well as more premium materials, features, and technologies. It’s positioned above BYD’s mass-market models but below the high-performance/ultra-luxury Yangwang line.
Denza currently makes the luxurious D9 minivan, which we rode around BYD’s testing facility, the N7 and N8 SUVs, which demonstrated an impressive run up a steep (and very high) soil-covered incline, and the gorgeous—and ultra-fast—Z9 sedan and shooting brake (a.k.a. wagon). The Z9 comes as a 858hp PHEV (with a 2.0-liter turbo gas engine and three electric motors) or as a 952hp triple-motor BEV.
We took turns driving the Z9 on a wet braking course that showed off its impressive traction and stability control and the Z9’s stunning shooting brake version on the wet circular skid/drift pad. It wasn’t easy, but the Z9’s high-performance Drift Mode enabled the more experienced drivers to drift the car continuously around the skidpad. It didn’t seem hard when you got the hang of it, but it did look spectacular from the spectators’ point of view. Denza is anticipated to enter the Philippine market late this year or early next year.
Yangwang
Debuting in 2023, Yangwang is BYD’s ultra-luxury premium brand. Its offerings include high-performance electric vehicles (including supercars and luxury SUVs) with very high specifications and price points. We got to drive two extraordinary automobiles from this brand: the Yangwang U9 supercar and the waterproof Yangwang U8 SUV that can actually float on water and be steered while floating and all four tires off the ground.
The fully electric Yangwang U9 boasts over 1,000 hp, sub-2-second 0-100 km/h times, and advanced suspension/drive technologies that enable the supercar to adjust its own suspension so it can drive with only three wheels attached. It can even leap over things at speed by crouching low on its suspension then leaping in the air like a predatory cat.
Exotic car styling and performance can be seen in breathtakingly expensive hypercars like Bugatti, Pagani, Koenigsegg and McLaren. Yangwang is offering the same looks and performance with its U9 supercar for the much more attainable price of a Porsche 911.
I got to take several laps—as a passenger—around BYD’s test track in the Yangwang U9. After driving (and being driven) in a variety of super-fast cars, including Formula cars, on racetracks, nothing prepared me for the brutal acceleration of the U9. It literally took my breath away. The corners and the hard braking approaching those corners were more of the same—a brain-numbing festival of brutal g forces that would make good training for an astronaut.
But that’s not all, Yangwang became viral last September 14 for setting the fastest speed in the world with a 496.22 km/h run in the U9 Xtreme at a test track in Germany, breaking the record previously held by the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+. It later broke the news again when it set a new record for pure-electric cars on the legendary Nurburgring, setting a stunning lap time of 6:59.157. It’s also the first EV to break seven minutes at the legendary German circuit.
Amazing as the U9 supercar was, it didn’t prepare us for an automotive demonstration that blows away any other car. I’m talking, of course, of the car that swims—the Yangwang U8. The U8 is a large SUV that you can drive on water. I got to ride it, too. The Yangwang driver approached a body of water (that looked like a lapping pool, complete with glass sides) and let the U8 drive deeper and deeper until we felt the tires leave the ground and the car begin to float. The driver switched on Float Mode, which keeps the electric motor running, closes all side windows, and opens the sunroof (to enable the occupants to escape in an emergency).
The magic is how the car can be steered around the water using the accelerator pedal and steering wheel, just like a normal car. The four specially designed alloy wheels act as mini propellers (or a dog paddle) that moves and steers the car on the water. The driver even made a floating u-turn at the end of the pool and “drove” us back to shore. Absolutely amazing.
Unfortunately, as of now, there’s no official announcement that Yangwang will enter the Philippine market. But you never know…
As I flew home from China, I couldn’t help feeling immensely impressed with how a country who struggled to make world-class cars just a couple of decades ago is now leading the world in automotive design, technology and performance.
For Filipino buyers, if BYD brings in Fangchengbao, Denza and Yangwang to the Philippines, the multi-tiered strategy will mean that there will be EV options from attainable to premium to luxury/high-performance.
Photos by Manny de los Reyes
