BYD Yangwang U9 Reviews

The electric vehicle revolution is in full swing after another standout month in Australia. There were 21,303 EVs sold in May 2026, as they continue to take hold at the expense of petrol- and diesel-powered cars. SUVs remain the dominant player in the electric segment, accounting for nine of the 10 best sellers.Tesla’s smashing May performance was headlined by 5605 sales for its Model Y SUV, cementing its position as the leading EV in Australia.The Model Y also claimed the title for the best-selling car in Australia last month.  The Jaecoo J5 EV had its best month on sale since it hit Aussie showrooms at the start of this year, selling 2126 units, up from less than 700 in April. This makes the J5 the best-selling small SUV in the country currently, even outselling its closely related and cheaper petrol sibling, the Chery Tiggo 4. The Geely EX5 also surged up the sales charts, achieving 1814 sales, while the BYD Sealion 7 experienced another bumper month, with 1538 sales. The Zeekr 7X rounds out the top five following a continued solid performance since its introduction late last year. BYD’s budget EV trio the Atto 3, Atto 2 and Atto 1 shifted more than 2000 units between them.The BYD Seal (580) is the only non-SUV on this list.Every car in the top 10 selling EVs for May is primarily built in China, with none coming from legacy brands. Some of the other EVs to miss out on a top 10 spot include the MG4 as well as Kia's EV3 and EV5 duo.Top selling electric cars May 2026

One of China's biggest car brands has a special Australia-focused model set for reveal later this year.During the recent arrival of BYD’s Zhengzhou cargo ship carrying thousands of new BYDs for waiting customers, the brand’s global VP and local COO confirmed the brand has an Australia-only model on the way.Liu Xueliang, Group Vice President of BYD and General Manager of BYD Asia-Pacific Auto Sales Division, was asked by journalists about models designed with Europe in mind - like the BYD Dolphin G revealed a week ago -  and whether they could come to Australia.“We have another special model, just for Australian customers,” Liu told journalists via translator, but wouldn’t be drawn on further details.Chief Operating Officer of BYD Australia Stephen Collins said no more could be said yet, but that the brand will “have more to say about that later in the year”.Given BYD already has a model seemingly built for the Australian psyche, the Shark 6 plug-in hybrid ute, it’s not yet clear what the Oz-specific BYD could be.A strong possibility at this stage is the apparent monocoque chassis ute, which has been spied testing numerous times in camouflage.According to Chinese government documents, the brand is planning more capacity for a ‘plug-in hybrid pick-up’ at its Zhengzhou production facility, though it doesn't mention the Shark 6.Spy photos show the ute with what appears to be a front-end similar to the likes of the BYD Sealion 5, and a small tub at the rear attached to a car-like dual-cab set-up.What could be China’s severely belated answer to car-based utes like the Holden Crewman, though previous expectations were that this model would be sold in China as well as other markets where small utes are popular, like South America.BYD is, in any case, expanding its line-up of Shark 6 ute variants to nab more share in the persistently competitive category here in Australia, so we will have to wait and see whether more information comes to light around BYD’s special model for Australia.

BYD has finished second in Australia's new-car sales race for the second consecutive month, delivering more vehicles than long-standing household names like Ford, Kia, Hyundai and Mazda, and trailing only Toyota in terms of total sales.

The first arrival of a BYD-owned shipping vessel to Australia has caused a stir as the brand’s top brass is confident troubles with supply in its home nation won’t affect Australian demand.The BYD Zhengzhou docked at the Port of Melbourne carrying 4809 BYD vehicles destined for Australian customers, part of a promise to deliver 30,000 new cars in the second quarter of 2026.BYD has already more than doubled its sales in the first quarter of 2026 compared to Q1, 2025, and if 30,000 vehicles are added to the existing count before halfway through the year, BYD will finish the first half with a remarkable 55,000 new cars sold in Australia.But on the morning media were given a tour of the BYD Zhengzhou in what could arguably be called a fanfare event, Toyota Australia announced it “has secured an additional 10,000 vehicles for local customers in 2026”.Toyota sold 59,675 cars in Q1 to BYD’s 25,243. BYD also remains behind Mazda, Kia, and Ford.The timing suggests Toyota wanted to remind Australian buyers who is number one in the sales race, but BYD’s commitment to meeting demand for electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) is clear, and the brand’s top brass didn’t hesitate to say as such.Liu Xueliang, Group Vice President of BYD and General Manager of BYD Asia-Pacific Auto Sales Division, told Australian media during a conference in Port Melbourne that despite battery supply challenges in the brand’s home market, BYD would meet demand in Australia.Via interpreter, Mr Liu told CarsGuide that even at home in an EV-saturated market, BYD’s outlook is optimistic.“Sales in China have begun to recover in Q2, we achieved 380,000 units sold in May just past. “Growth has tightened a bit, but that does not affect supply to markets including Australia.“This is just one of our ships, but we’ve got many other ships that are arriving in Australia.”While Mr Liu wouldn’t be drawn on Toyota’s announcement, the theme that returned many times during the conference was BYD’s ownership of its own supply chain, and the control that grants.Given Australia’s demand for plug-in hybrids and EVs in 2026 is higher than it has been by huge margins, Liu Xueliang said this wouldn’t be the first time a BYD-owned ship would be seen in an Australian port.

BYD’s Fangchengbao brand has released official imagery of a new electric shooting brake wagon ahead of its launch in the domestic market in the third quarter of 2026.Dubbed the Fangchengbao Formula S GT, this is essentially a shooting brake version of the Formula S sedan that's already been shown.It forms as a key rival to the Porsche Taycan which is available both as a sedan and shooting brake wagon.As reported by China’s Autohome, this car will come with a fully electric powertrain with the electric motors being fed by a second-generation Blade lithium iron phosphate (LFP), allowing flash charging capabilities.No official power, range or performance figures have been announced yet, but it’s expected there will be multiple variants.It’s also understood the Formula S GT features adaptive suspension, as well as semi-autonomous driving capabilities due to the LiDAR sensor on the roof.In terms of design, this electric liftback bears some similarities to the Denza Z9 GT which is already confirmed for an Australian launch later this year.It also has a similar footprint, with the Formula S GT measuring 5.0 metres long and 2.0 metres wide, with a 3.0-metre wheelbase.Some exterior design highlights include semi-flush door handles, diamond-shaped tail-lights, plus an active ducktail rear spoiler.Fangchengbao hasn’t officially revealed any imagery of the Formula S GT’s interior yet.At this stage it’s unclear whether the Formula S GT, or even the regular Formula S, will come to Australia.The Fangchengbao brand doesn’t have a presence in Australia, though a few of its models are badged as Denza models locally.Even if it comes to Australia, it’ll compete closely with the Denza Z9 GT, which is due to arrive before the end of 2026.Power will come from three electric motors with a total system output of 850kW. This will allow for a claimed 0-100km/h sprint time of 2.7 seconds.Additionally, the Z9 GT will offer flash charging capabilities at up to 1500kW.

BYD has once again made a move to one-up its international rival Tesla by offering full liability coverage for its ‘God’s Eye’ advanced driver assistance system (ADAS).The brand announced at its ‘Intelligence Strategy Launch Event’ that it would cover “all resulting economic losses” from an accident resulting from use of BYD’s Urban Navigate on Autopilot (NOA) function, part of its God’s Eye ADAS suite.The move comes as part of a commitment to spend A$20.5 billion on investment into ADAS and self-driving, alongside revealing what it claims is China’s first mass-produced 4-nanometer (4nm) autonomous driving chip.BYD has also announced that its entire line-up can be equipped with the top-spec LiDAR version of God’s Eye, enabling level 3 and 4 self-driving.In China, BYD customers are able to purchase a one-year plan to cover use of God’s Eye 5.0.BYD says the policy states “if a legally-liable accident occurs while a user is operating the Urban NOA function in compliance with regulations, BYD will directly cover all resulting economic losses”.BYD cites the reason for this confidence as being down to its “3.15 million Intelligent Driving Assistance vehicles on the road” resulting in around 200 million kilometres logged every day, plus the brand’s huge R&D team of 5000 engineers, which it claims is the largest in China’s automotive industry.God’s Eye has also received an AI-based “hyper‑realistic digital assistant” for use by the driver in the cabin, which BYD claims results in a “continuously evolving in-car experience”.The tech and God’s Eye damage coverage is currently only available in China, while Tesla’s ‘Full Self Driving (FSD) Supervised’ is available in equipped models in Australia, though Tesla won’t take any of the blame for accidents that occur during its use.

BYD is poised to step up its attack on the ute market, with a raft of possible Shark 6 expansion models under consideration.The Chinese brand’s decision to triple the Shark 6 line-up with the new 2.0-litre Performance model and the Cab Chassis variant is only the beginning of its growth plans for the popular ute.BYD Australia Chief Operating Officer Stephen Collins said the company is focused on expanding the appeal of the plug-in hybrid ute to potential fleet customers in the short-term, with more options on the table beyond that.“There's more sub-segments that are pretty obvious that we're talking to HQ about,” Collins told CarsGuide.“So nothing I can confirm at this point, but yeah, we're certainly looking to continue to grow where it makes sense in the range. So whether that be at the top, whether it be at the bottom, whether it be certain mining-spec cars or whatever it may be, definite opportunities there. And because we're the lead market I think we have a lot of pull in what we can bring to the market.”The addition of the Shark 6 Performance means the ute can now tow up to 3500kg, opening the market to customers who tow larger items, such as ‘grey nomad’ caravaners and other tradespeople. While the new Dynamic Cab Chassis gives the Shark 6 more appeal to tradies and fleet customers in need of a specific solution at the rear instead of the integrated tub.Collins wouldn’t be drawn on any specific areas where the Shark 6 range could expand to, but did underline just how important growing its share of the lucrative fleet market is.“I think the obvious one has been fleet. We said last night that 35 per cent is about the norm. We've been at 10, we're now at 20 . So I think fleet is probably the obvious one where we've really been missing out, and we've established a fleet department. We work closely with our retail partners. We've probably got, in combination with our retail partners, we've probably got 25 people working on fleet. So that's the obvious one.“I think we just appeal broadly now, and I think there's just more opportunity as the car's only been in the market for 14-15 months. We've quickly gained, I think, a strong reputation getting on the shopping list. And I think now we're just getting on the shopping list of more tradies, grey nomads, families who just want to go camping, sparkies, just all of the above. And I think this just widens the appeal.”One likely option would be installing the new 2.0-litre petrol engine in the Cab Chassis, which would allow it to tow up to 3500kg, instead of the current 2500kg. Collins wouldn’t confirm such a variant was locked in, but did say it was “on the radar” for the brand.

China’s car industry may already have peaked, according to the boss of one of its biggest brands.Nio Chief Executive Officer William Li said the Chinese auto industry has moved past its “golden era”, according to Reuters.Electric vehicle sales in the country slumped 38 per cent in April, to a still astounding 443,000, which is the fourth straight month of sales declined in the world’s largest EV market.This is because of several issues.Li said car ownership in China had hit 370 million, which means it is no longer a growth market and instead the domestic market is considered “saturated”.Nio is known for its battery swap technology, but only has a small foothold outside of China, and is more at risk than others to poor domestic performance.Subsidies for EVs have also been reduced and a weak domestic economy are also to blame, according to Autonews.For BYD and Geely, two of China’s largest carmakers, net profit dropped by more than US$600m (A$840m).Tough home market conditions are likely to benefit global markets as Chinese brands push more models aggressively to boost total sales and keep factories in China humming. This could result in lower prices and more appealing vehicles sooner.Another benefit to markets of stagnating sales growth in China is the introduction of more widespread fast charging technology.Charging is the new battleground for electric car dollars in China.“Slow charging speeds, poor charging performance at low temperatures and anxiety about energy replenishment have remained the final hurdles in popularising electrified vehicles,” said BYD Chairman Wang Chuanfu earlier this year.The company has begun rolling out its Flash charging network in China, which is capable of delivering speeds of up to 1500kW.BYD will have similar charging stations in Australia later this year.BYD is also rolling out vehicles capable of using these ultra fast chargers, though only the Denza Z9 electric sports car will be able to use their full capabilities in Oz this year.Solid state batteries are also destined to be another advanced selling point for electric cars in the next few years.Multiple Chinese brands are working on fitting the advanced power packs to their vehicles. These solid state cells are the holy grail of electric car batteries because they are more energy dense, which allows them to store more energy in smaller batteries. This will make electric 4WDs, utes and sports cars a reality by making EVs lighter. The batteries are also less prone to fire.

Believe it or don’t we’re almost halfway through the year and that calls for a round up of the cars that have stood out to us in 2026.So, we’ve asked our fellow test pilots around the CarsGuide office which new car has impressed them the most so far. Here’s our half-year top 5, in no particular order.Honda PreludeHonda’s reborn Prelude sports car is a reminder of the magic this iconic Japanese company can perform at a time when new Chinese brands are drawing our eyes away.A rival to the Toyota GR 86, Nissan Z and Mazda MX-5 the Prelude arrived in May with a hybrid powertrain and a drive-away price of $65,000.Based on the Honda Civic, the Prelude has a 2.0-litre four cylinder engine and an electric motor. Combined output is 149kW.CarsGuide contributor Byron Mathioudakis attended the Australian launch.“Firstly, the performance on offer goes far beyond the sum of its published numbers," he said."Secondly, the fluency of the chassis to communicate with the road and driver makes this a true enthusiast’s car. And thirdly, this leaves us wanting more."Long after the sensual lines are out of sight, your mind’s eye keeps looking back, yearning to return to the driver’s seat. All for $65K drive-away, folks."BMW M2 CSBMW’s new M2 CS arrived in May this year loudly announcing that angry performance petrol cars were still well and truly a thing - and a beautiful thing, too.The Competition Sport version of the mighty little M2 takes that little beast's straight-six turbo and squeezes out more grunt - 390kW and 650Nm.The M2 CS has been one of Senior Journalist Chris Thompson’s favourite finds of 2026 so far.“Small enough to still feel like a nimble sports car but it won't bite your hand too hard," Thompson said."Plenty of power and a healthy torque band, but enough compliance in the chassis/suspension that it doesn't feel entirely like driving a race car. Looks fully siq in Velvet Blue Metallic with Gold Bronze wheels."Denza B5BYD’s luxury brand Denza brought its Toyota Prado rival to Australia this year starting at a list price of just less than $75K.Production Editor Jack Quick drove this large super hybrid SUV at its Aussie launch and had this to say:“It rights the BYD Shark 6’s wrongs in terms of off-road capability and has undeniable value with the amount of high-end touches it has. Plus it’s ridiculously fast. However, it’s not perfect as it’s very heavy and has a busy ride.” Kia EV4 GT-LineKia’s fully electric EV4 sedan arrived in Australia in January looking slipperier than an eel.There’s a single motor making 150kW and 283Nm driving the front wheels and you can have it in three grades with the starting list price being $49,990.Deputy Editor James Cleary drove the EV4 and nominated it as one of the cars that impressed him this year."Polarising contemporary Kia exterior design... but I like it,” he said.  “Snappy, user-friendly interior. Strong performance and useful range. A $65K price tag for this flagship is in line with BYD Seal but $10K steeper than comparable Mazda 6e.” BYD Shark 6The BYD Shark 6 was awarded CarsGuide's Best Ute of 2026 and now it has returned with a more powerful engine (a 2.0-litre turbo petrol four cylinder) in the Performance grade.The new and improved plug-in hybrid ute addressed what was lacking in an otherwise outstanding vehicle - towing ability. Braked towing capacity has increased from 2500kg to 3500kg in the Performance.Dual motors (one at the front and one at the rear) combined with the petrol e engine make an impressive 350kW and 700Nm. Carsguide contributor Stephen Ottley was at the launch and said:“For grey nomads and others who have previously ruled it out, the BYD Shark 6 might suddenly be back on more shortlists.”

Are there cracks starting to appear in Toyota’s seemingly impervious armour?Toyota has long dominated the Australian car industry. So much so that for the last several years, nearly one in every five new cars sold has been one of the Japanese brand’s options. But an unlikely contender has emerged to potentially halt that seemingly unstoppable sales success.China’s BYD was Toyota’s closest sales rival in April and has enjoyed sales growth of more than 110 per cent in the first fourth months of 2026. Toyota has been off to an unusually slow start, dropping more than 22 per cent of its sales over the same period.Despite the two brands starting 2026 in opposite sales trajectories, BYD Australia Chief Operating Officer Stephen Collins isn’t focused on getting the better of Toyota.“ I think that's an issue for them,” he told CarsGuide. “All I focus on is what we can control. And at the end of the day, where you finish at the end of the month, the end of the year, the end of the quarter, it's just a result. It's just a fallout of what you've been able to do. Toyota might be in a situation where their orders are fine, but they can't get the stock for whatever reason, I don't know.”Not that Collins is aiming low, with a clear target of finishing within the top three selling brands for 2026, which would represent a major improvement over its seventh place on the charts in 2025. “Look, I think I said this at the start of the year and a few people looked at me like I was a bit crazy, saying that, I think we want to be in or around the top three ,” he said.“I genuinely think that's where we should be. Where we go from there, who knows? There's so many variables, who knows? But I think that starts to put us in a leadership bracket of brands. And we've just gotta keep getting better - that's it. Toyota has been so good for so long because they do so many things really well and we've got to do better.”The reality is Toyota remains comfortably ahead of all of its key rivals thanks to its enormous lead over the rest of the market. Despite its major sales drop to start the year, Toyota has still sold almost 60,000 new vehicles (59,675 to be precise) between January and April, with no other brand surpassing 28,000 sales. BYD has sold 25,243 new models so far this year, which puts it in fifth place year-to-date and less than 1000 units behind fourth-placed Ford. To underline just how steep BYD’s rise has been, in April 2025 the brand was not even amongst the top 10 selling companies, so it is on a very dramatic upward trajectory.Part of Collins’ plan is to grow sustainably but quickly, expanding its line-up to follow Toyota’s strategy of a broad array of popular models across multiple market segments.“We want to do all that, but do it quicker and better than anyone,” said Collins. “I'm not saying that arrogantly, I'm just saying that's the mindset that we need to have now. The mindset for us, for me, now is, ‘oh, we're not a challenger brand anymore.’ We're beyond that. We just need to be better.”To that end, BYD Australia negotiated with its head office for the use of one of BYD’s eight car carrier ships, the BYD Zhengzhou, to rush a delivery of 4800 new vehicles to Australia for delivery. This is one shipment of a planned 30,000 new vehicles scheduled to arrive before the end of the financial year and Collins said the “vast majority” were already sold. Beyond that, the brand has just expanded the Shark 6 ute range with a new flagship model, the Performance, and a new, fleet-friendly Cab Chassis option. In addition to that BYD has announced two new models and two facelifted models will be added before the end of 2026, as part of an on-going expansion that has also included the Atto 1 and Atto 2 electric vehicles as well as the Sealion 5 and Sealion 8 SUVs recently.