It’s go time for BYD’s Yangwang brand and their new U9 performance electric sedan. Yangwang has rolled up to the iconic Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit in Germany looking to prove it can hang with the big boys of performance cars.
According to BYD’s Yangwang sales chief Hu Xiaoqing, Yangwang U9 supercar has completed its first round of “Industry Pool” testing at the terrifying 12.9-mile ‘Ring track. That first dance with the Green Hell went down late into the night as a team of over a dozen experts poured over all the data.
“Initial feedback cannot determine the final results,” Hu post in Weibo. “However, the data collected so far is promising.”
The Yangwang crew is feeling relatively confident that with some further optimizations and calibrations, the U9 can live up to its simulated lap times. Local hotshoe test drivers are cautiously optimistic as well about the electric performance sedan’s potential.
Of course, the degree of difficulty couldn’t be higher. The Nürburgring is the ultimate gantlet for any performance vehicle looking to earn its stripes and street cred. Legendary automakers have poured millions into ‘Ring development and still struggled mightily at times.
So for a fledgling brand like Yangwang to come out swinging with a dedicated electric performance model is admittedly quite ambitious. Especially at the ultra-competitive premium sedan level currently dominated by the BMW M5, Mercedes-AMG E63, and Porsche Taycan.
Achieving their target lap times will clearly “require extensive testing” and plenty of elbow grease in massaging the U9’s hardware and software calibrations. But BYD is determined to show China’s automotive industry can “take on” the Nürburgring and win over enthusiasts.
It’s still very early, but we’re intrigued to see what this upstart can pull off against some of the toughest competition in the world.