2025 BYD Yangwang U9 Reviews

The 2027 BYD Seal 6 has arrived, and not just at a lower starting price with a more electrified plug-in hybrid drivetrain, but with a wagon option, too. In fact, the Seal 6 Touring Premium wagon is the halo variant of the Seal 6 range, and its price matches the Camry’s entry-grade. Should Toyota be worried? We attend the Australian launch of the Seal 6 Touring to find out.

BYD is taking the fight right into the heart of its fiercest rivals' territory as it launches a cheap new EV in Japan.The BYD Racco launches in Japan as a city car with its sights set on the country's ultra-affordable kei car segment. It is available in two variants, both starting from less than 2.5 million yen, which is roughly the equivalent of $20,000. The BYD Racco targets Japan’s very popular kei car market, suitable for busy streets and strict emissions regulations. Kei cars miss out on hefty vehicle taxes in Japan if they meet stringent design rules, making them a very affordable and practical transport option.The Racco is substantially bigger than BYD’s Atto 1 compact SUV on sale in Australia, measuring up at 3395mm long and 1475mm wide.BYD is introducing the Racco to tackle the otherwise Japanese-dominated city car segment, with a view to gaining a foothold in another global market. The Racco is the first kei car in Japan to boast a driving range exceeding 300km, with its 36kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery offering a quoted 320km.The front-wheel drive only Racco’s single electric motor is limited to produce 47kW and 160Nm in line with Japanese rules. It has electric sliding doors on both sides to improve accessibility in narrow streets, and can also power external devices through vehicle-to-load capacity. The Racco’s platform enables DC charging at 100kW, meaning a 10-80 per cent charge should take around 20 minutes. Features inside the cabin include a 10.1-inch central touchscreen, heated front seats and a heated steering wheel. There is expected to be an even cheaper variant of the Racco coming later, with a 20kWh battery and a 200km driving range. BYD executives have previously poured cold water on the prospect of the Racco joining its Australian lineup as it is solely built for the Japanese market. Kei cars like the Racco face challenges to comply with Australian Design Rules, including inadequate side impact crash protection. Honda recently put its Super-One electric city car on sale Down Under, which is based on its N-One Kei car.It underwent significant changes, including a bigger frame, to ensure it complied.

Buyers still love 4WDs in Australia. It remains a big-selling segment, but some of its biggest hitters are suffering losses.China is starting to get a foothold in the market with budget offerings posing a serious threat to established regulars.Emissions-heavy vehicles such as 4WDs are also coming under fire from increasingly stringent rules in Australia.Here is the rundown of the best-selling 4WDs up to June 2026. The Ford Everest large SUV is up front with more than 11,000 sales in 2026 so far, despite a near 10 per cent year-on-year drop. It is based on the Ford Ranger, which is the best-selling ute in Australia.The Toyota Prado takes second place with more than 9000 sales so far this year, but it has experienced an even sharper drop of nearly 42 per cent year-on-year.The Prado is a scaled down version of the LandCruiser 300 Series, using a 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, as opposed to the more powerful V6. Isuzu’s MU-X is third, making 7564 sales up to June, but it too experienced a more minor slump of 3.2 per cent. The LandCruiser 300 Series is currently fourth on the standings, and is the only car in the top five to have experienced a substantial growth in sales. Its 6451 sales constitutes a 26.3 per cent rise compared to first six months of 2025.Toyota also released a performance petrol hybrid V6 variant earlier this year.The Suzuki Jimny rounds out the top five as a much smaller and cheaper competitor to those above it. Priced from $31,990, before on-road costs, the Jimny is down 11.1 per cent compared to this time last year, while still amassing 3882 sales. The Nissan Patrol is down nearly 25 per cent compared to its sales result up to June 2025, with 2843 sales so far in 2026. The current Y62 petrol V8 Patrol will cease production next month, and order books for a new twin-turbo V6 will open later. GWM’s Tank 300 mid-size SUV off-roader has continued to surge up the sales charts in 2026, with 2759 sales so far.The Tank 300 is available in petrol, diesel, plug-less hybrid and plug-in hybrid set-ups - more varied than any of its competitors. BYD’s Denza sub-brand is another Chinese rival experiencing a solid sales return in Australia.Its B5 plug-in hybrid SUV has already accumulated 1445 sales this year, having only gone on sale in December 2025.Its bigger sibling the B8 is also approaching the 1000-unit mark midway through this year. The ultra-luxury GMC Yukon Denali from the United States is starting to pick up momentum in Australia. The V8-powered eight-seater Yukon Denali went on sale in the middle of last year, but 2026 has seen sales explode by nearly 190 per cent. It remains a low-volume model with only 202 sales, as it carries a $174,990 price tag. The 4WD segment is about undergo some serious changes in the next few months, including an influx of new models.The Mitsubishi Pajero will return to Australia, along with several new Chinese competitors likely to join it over the next 18 months.The anticipated Geely Galaxy Cruiser is slated for a UK launch, meaning Australia could its next step, while the GAC Yue 7 also seems to be on the way. 

The boss of the largest auto parts business in Thailand is on the frontline of Chinese expansion, and he has explained why Chinese companies are beating Japan and Europe at an alarming rate.Speaking to Nikkei Asia, Yeah Swee Chuan, CEO of Aapico Hitech, predicted the rise of Chinese automakers will lead to a rapid re-ordering of the industry, with the market share of combustion-engined (ICE) vehicles falling by about a third in the coming years.“They will win the war for sure” he told Nikkei, “You know why? All the people in the world, whether it’s European or anybody, they think of ICE and ICE and ICE. They are all ICE brain.”“The Chinese started up from EV. Their brain is EV, EV, EV.”China is now the dominant country of origin for new vehicles in Australia thanks to a massive array of new brands offering affordable and desirable products, with BYD, GWM, MG and Chery storming the top-10 vehicle charts.A big part of this rise is not just cheap cars like the small SUV segment-dominating Chery Tiggo 4, but also the rise of electric vehicles. As of July, EVs are now at a 16.4 per cent market share overall, with July alone seeing electric vehicles accounting for 36 per cent of sales.A similar story is playing out across our South East Asian neighbours, with EV market share reaching 15 per cent in Indonesia, 23 per cent in Thailand. The advance of electric vehicles has been less of a slam-dunk in Malaysia where market share is at 6.8 per cent (H1 2026), and the dominant market player is still Toyota-aligned Perodua, which has a 38.7 per cent market share.Even there EV market share has more than doubled year-on-year with Geely-aligned Proton holding second place in the market, and Jaecoo also leaping up the charts.Yeap predicts legacy automakers will need to increase their collaboration with Chinese automakers in order to survive.Yeap told Nikkei he thinks this explosive growth is because the perception of Chinese cars is turning in many of the markets his company operates in.“Three years ago when the Chinese cars came to Thailand everybody said they were junk but today, it’s not junk anymore. Their cars, the electronics, their systems and all that. Very advanced and the kids and young people love it,” he said.Yeap was of the opinion that the only market able to resist the surge of electrified vehicles from China would be the US as it increasingly uses trade barriers to isolate itself from the global auto market.Chinese automakers are storming the charts both here and overseas, it’s not necessarily good news for everyone, with the boss of Bartons Motor Group in Queensland, Mark Beitz, telling CarsGuide recently all is not well in the Australian market behind the glossy sales figures.He warned EV market share figures in July, which boosted market share to historic highs was largely due to artificial inflation thanks to deliveries being fulfilled that month from orders placed when fuel prices temporarily skyrocketed during the opening weeks of the Iran war.He also said profitability in the industry was hitting unprecedented lows due to huge amounts of inventory being dumped into the market by automakers and intense competition by “way too many brands”.While he alluded to the idea that some might not work in the long term, he was more positive about the chances of so-called legacy automakers like Nissan, who he predicted would adjust with new Chinese-built products, or Mitsubishi which would play to its strengths with the incoming and highly-anticipated Pajero 4WD and tactical adjustments to the Triton ute range. Both models are built in Thailand.Beitz agreed that the surge of Chinese automakers was changing buyer preferences, and ultimately once-giants from Japan would shrink in dealer footprint alongside their market share.Globally, Japanese giants are aware of the existential crisis facing them. Nissan has chosen to re-structure its business and orient its manufacturing footprint more towards its successful Chinese joint-ventures. Even bosses from Toyota are shaken, with Japan Automobile Association Chairman and Toyota Chief Industry Officer Koji Saito telling Automotive News “unless things change, we will not survive”.2026 is a year of a car industry in flux in Australia, with a major re-shuffling of the top-10 underway. It will be unsurprising to see four or five Chinese automakers supplant once-favourites from the list before the end of the year.

Aussies are going to be buying more Chinese cars than ever as exports boom.Our market is proving to be the perfect place for under-fire Chinese brands to move on from their oversaturated domestic market.Meanwhile, new Chinese government rules mean smaller Chinese automakers will have a better chance of becoming true competitors to bigger brands like BYD.Legislative changes have diminished the advantages of mass-production, reducing the profit on a single car sold for 200,000 yuan ($42,000) to just 3000 yuan (or $633) according to Auto Home.Brands now must look more closely at overseas markets, and Australia is standing out.Australia does not have a domestic car industry to protect so it does not impose the same expensive tariffs or rules as other markets, making it more attractive to some importers.Europe has had a series of up to 35 per cent tariffs in place on Chinese manufacturers importing EVs since late 2024 to encourage or protect local production.Thailand, one of the biggest car manufacturers in the world, has also introduced rules requiring two cars to be locally produced for every car imported.Chinese car exports surged by 65 per cent in the first half of 2026, with a whopping 5.1 million cars sold, via Auto Home.BYD and Chery have contributed nearly 2 million overseas sales between them so far this year.Virtually three-quarters of Chery’s total sales came from overseas in the first half of 2026.Many of these cars are coming to Australia as our market now sources more cars from China than it does from Japan.Nothing says this more than the current top 10 best-selling electric cars all being built in China. The BYD Sealion 7 electric mid-size SUV (from $54,000, before on-road costs) has been a raging success for the brand in Australia.Chery’s budget-friendly small SUVs the Tiggo 4 petrol/plugless hybrid (from $23,990, drive-away) and Jaecoo J5 EV ($36,990, drive-away) are some of the most popular cars on the roads today.The BYD Atto 1 hatchback is the cheapest new electric car in Australia, starting from $23,990 (before on-road costs). The larger Dolphin is also available from under $30,000.Chinese brands will continue to place further emphasis on Australia as they look to expand their local line-ups.Geely has already seen success with its EX5 electric mid-size SUV, but its methodical approach will see plenty more models hit showrooms in the next year.Brands like GAC and XPeng are also accelerating their launch plans as they feel the squeeze back home.

This is BYD’s latest budget-friendly EV destined for Aussie shores. The hugely popular Chinese brand has opened expressions of interest for its Atto 3 Evo electric mid-size SUV in Australia. The Atto 3 Evo is an updated version of the Atto 3 that is currently in Australian showrooms. There is no official news on when we might see the Atto 3 Evo, but the local branch has been contacted for comment to learn of any launch plans. It has identical dimensions to the standard Atto 3, so it will continue to battle in close proximity to Chinese rivals like the MG S5 ($41,990, drive-away until 31 July 2026) and Leapmotor B10 ($38,990, drive-away until 30 September 2026). It will also be a size-up competitor to the Hyundai Kona Electric ($46,990, drive-away until 30 September 2026) and Kia EV3 ($47,600, before on-road costs).The Atto 3 Evo is already on sale in the United Kingdom, and its specification shows a big change underneath.It ditches the current version's front-wheel drive layout and is available with a single rear-wheel drive motor producing 230kW and 380Nm, or dual motors producing 330kW and 560Nm and all-wheel drive. This represents a solid boost on the current front-wheel drive Atto 3 that only produces 150kW and 310Nm.The Atto 3 Evo can sprint from 0-100km/h in 3.9 seconds and has a top speed of 200km/h.It boasts a 75kWh battery also representing a noticeable step up on the standard Atto 3. This increases driving range up to a maximum 510km, according to WLTP standards, which is nearly 100km more than its sibling.DC charging at 220kW from 10 to 80 per cent takes as little as 25 minutes. The Atto 3 Evo’s interior features a 15.6-inch central touchscreen and 8.8-inch digital driver display, along with a wireless phone charger.It is available with synthetic leather seats. Front seats are electrically adjustable, heated and ventilated. Expect pricing information closer to launch, but it is likely to sit above the $39,990 (before on-road costs) price tag of the current base Atto 3. The Atto 3 Evo replaced the Atto 3 in the UK this year, so a similar move could be on the cards in Australia in the future.The Atto 3 was BYD's first model to go on sale in Australia back in the mid-2022, and it continues to be a steady seller in its budget-focused lineup.

The boss of a major dealer group has told CarsGuide how competing forces and the state of the economy is taking its toll on the new car industry despite record sales in 2026.Mark Beitz, the managing director of Bartons Motor Group said the record registration numbers released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries in its monthly VFACTs data wasn’t a true reflection of car sales in June as “excess inventory”, which was building up at an alarming pace on dealer lots gets cleared out.“There were a lot of cars which were already sold months prior being delivered in June, so that accounted for a massive spike, particularly in EV and plug-in hybrids,” he said.“There is an adoption trend for EV, we can see that - so for the first quarter you were seeing that natural sustainable growth in EVs.”But, referencing the wave of attention for electric cars in the last three months that stemmed from high fuel prices due to the war in Iran and Strait of Hormuz crisis, he said while dealer groups had "never seen anything like it" it wasn't a sustainable pace for EV sales in the long run.“People were only buying EVs for a month or so” he said.“There was a lot of aged EV stock in the country, this big surge, the panic buying, really cleared that up - but we sold those cars back in April and what we're seeing in VFACTs is deliveries.”“What we’ve seen since then - in May it started to wane and now new order intake is nothing like what we saw in April.”But with many global stockpiles of fuel, which were released onto the market to ease prices, reportedly set to run thin in the coming months, does Beitz think there could be a renewed rush on EVs and plug-ins?“My feeling is no” he said.“I think as a country what we’ve experienced is what’s going to happen - I don’t feel we’ll run out of fuel, there wasn’t Armageddon like people thought there was going to be, so I don’t see another huge surge. I don’t think we’ll see anything like that second quarter for the rest of the year.”“I think it will instead be an average of the first half of the year for the second half.”He said conditions going forward looked more bleak for the industry, as a combination of factors would make numbers seen in the first six months of 2026 more difficult to replicate going forward.“The industry is seeing some real challenges. The profitability is the lowest it’s ever been - overall the industry has had the lowest return in decades for the first half of the year - that’s unheard of."“There’s a number of factors. The economy is taking its toll - there’s excess inventory everywhere. You’ve only got to drive to the ports, there’s cars everywhere. So there’s an excess inventory issue that’s affecting our ability to retain revenue. Margins have fallen through the floor.”“The other thing which is a massive issue is that there are way too many brands, and only the same amount of buyers. Year-to-date there’s a small growth but it’s bugger all, and 65 per cent of the market is still ICE vehicles, and even there it’s declined.”But despite the intense competition and ultra-low price points coming to the market from new Chinese brands, Beitz was reasonably positive about the survival chances of so-called ‘legacy brands’.“They’ll find a way forward,” he said.“Nissan is a good example, they’ll have a portfolio, which resembles their traditional products like Navara and Patrol, but next year they’ll be bringing across a range of Chinese manufactured options.”He agreed that levels of interest for incoming Chinese-built cars from brands like Nissan seen across automotive media was being replicated by buyer interest at a dealer level.“I think they’re responding but they struggle to move as fast as the Chinese brands are arriving. But legacy brands are coming back, I think they might hold on to where they sit currently."However, he also added their footprint has likely permanently shrunk when it comes to retail space: “It will result in a re-allocation of already limited space for dealers like me.”Despite promising signs for EVs going forward - with many more younger buyers being attracted by lower price points from new brands, Beitz pointed out that non-EV market share is still 75 per cent of the total market, and 78 per cent for his network specifically.He believes combustion vehicles (including plugless hybrids) will continue to make up the majority of the market for years to come.

A new report has shed light on which electric vehicles (EVs) maintain the highest percentage of battery life over time.Swedish car marketplace Carla has published results from a study into battery life of electric cars, using data from 10,000 battery tests on EVs in Sweden between 2022 and 2026.The results may come as a surprise to some, with the best brand for battery health after 10,000km travelled being Kia, and the second best being Hyundai with 96.8 per cent and 95.4 per cent battery health, respectively.The next brands down were premium marques Mercedes-Benz (95 per cent) and BMW (94.5 per cent), with Ford (94.3 per cent) sitting above Geely Group brands Volvo (94.2 per cent) and Polestar (93.7 per cent).Volkswagen Group vehicles took up the next four positions, which in order included Audi (92.9 per cent), Skoda (92.6 per cent), VW (92.4 per cent) and Porsche (90.9 per cent).Tesla, which is often quoted as a brand with impressive battery degradation figures in other studies placed 12th in the Swedish study, with its cars maintaining 90.2 per cent battery health after 10,000km.The grouping of various brands together comes as little surprise given each parent company will source batteries from similar places and use familiar chemistries and heat management methods.Another graph from the same study shows average battery degradation between the first 50,000km (94.39 per cent) and the next 50,000km was negligible, at just over 2 per cent. Average battery health of the 10,000 cars tested by 100,000km was 92.35 per cent.More interesting is the breakdown by model, with the study showing the car with the least overall battery degradation was the Kia Niro EV, which maintained 97.25 per cent of its battery capacity.The Hyundai Kona Electric and Kia EV6 also scored well, with the next model down being the Volvo XC40 Recharge and Polestar 2.The popular Tesla Model Y also maintained 92.18 per cent of its battery capacity on average over 10,000km, although ranked 18th in the study, below many VW Group, BMW, and Geely Group products.It is worth noting that this study does not simply transfer across to the Australian market. Many of the EVs delivered to Sweden are built in Europe which often use different battery suppliers to the versions of the cars sold here.In addition, Sweden’s cool climate may produce different results to our hot climate, with different demands placed on temperature management systems, and different pressures placed on batteries while discharging or charging.However, more Australian cars using batteries from Chinese suppliers may actually be an advantage. Lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) batteries from CATL (China’s largest battery supplier) are now pervasive across EVs from many brands sold in Australia. The Swedish study compared the performance of these Chinese CATL LFP batteries, Korean LG Chem batteries and two different types of Japanese Panasonic batteries, all in the Tesla Model 3 to control for model differences.The CATL cells had the highest average battery health, maintaining 93.3 per cent, the LG Chem cells were next at 91.5 per cent, and the Panasonic NMC batteries ranked lower at 89.8 and 88.2 per cent respectively.One factor worth keeping in mind is BYD’s lack of a major footprint in Sweden despite launching there in 2022, leaving it off the study. Not only does this exclude BYD from the ranking system, but it also leaves its batteries out.BYD sells its signature LFP ‘Blade’ batteries to many brands for cars sold in Australia, including Kia, KGM, and even entry-level versions of the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y.The study confirms several things - battery degradation is often over-stated, with almost all cars maintaining over 90 per cent capacity at the 100,000km mark, and newer chemistries and temperature management systems are having a notable improvement on battery life across all makes and models.Previous stories of cars losing up to 50 per cent of their capacity were often limited to early-generation NMC batteries using air-cooled technology. Almost all new EVs sold, particularly in Australia, use liquid-cooled cells.In other good news for Aussie EV owners and those considering a second hand EV, the Carla study is not the first time EV batteries have performed better than expected when surveyed en-masse.In Australia, auction house Pickles recently shared data based on its battery health scoring which showed EVs with between 80- and 120,000km were maintaining a battery health score of around 91 per cent.

A new report from the Australia Automotive Dealer Association (AADA) has shed light over fresh concerns regarding long car repair and refund wait times in Australia.Dealers admitted customers face significant delays to get their cars fixed in Australia, especially EVs. It can take between six and eight weeks for an issue to just be diagnosed due to workshop backlogs.The association said some manufacturing faults can even take months or years to be correctly diagnosedDealers are now refusing to accept tow-ins or diagnostic work for vehicles they did not originally sell due their backlogs.They blamed long wait times on sourcing parts like electric car batteries that cannot be air-freighted and must be shipped instead.Dealers have also pointed the finger at car manufacturers that dispute or mull over approving warranty requests.The report said that only manufacturers can provide remedy for design faults, leaving dealers helpless to appease customer expectations of a swift resolution. The report stated concerns over manufacturers denying reimbursement claims and failing to meaningfully engage with dispute processes. Carmakers are required to make parts and repair available for a reasonable time after purchase, but this is a vague stipulation.The report sets out several Australian Consumer Law reform recommendations to rectify these issues. It said manufacturers should be required to respond to buyback requests within a fixed period.If the manufacturer fails to respond with written confirmation of indemnity, it is deemed to have accepted responsibility. Manufacturers should also be required to join legal tribunal proceedings for alleged manufacturing or systemic defects. The report called for further clarification of consumer guarantees regarding battery degradation and replacement thresholds. This would recognise the inevitable delays of sourcing EV components and developing software solutions.The Australian EV boom is in full swing, with sales surging in the wake of skyrocketing fuel prices and increasingly stringent environment regulations. More EVs will hit the roads in the coming months, with the industry likely to be placed under further strain.

BYD is preparing to kick petrol-powered cars to the curb with its latest EV boasting nearly 1000km of driving range. The Denza Z9 S is an electric sedan from BYD's luxury sub-brand that has just been fully revealed in China.Its rear-wheel drive single motor variant produces 370kW and offers up to 920km of driving range from its 102kWh battery. This is only according to generous CLTC standards, and not the more reliable WLTP, so don’t expect it to reach that figure in the real world, but it will still offer one of the longest driving ranges on the market. The range-topping tri-motor all-wheel set-up boosts power to a whopping 890kW, but driving range is reduced to 780km.This car looks to be the sibling of the Z9 GT that is one of BYD’s most anticipated new models landing Down Under this year.The Z9 S will launch in China later this year, but there is no official news on whether it will make it to Australia like the Z9 GT.The car is marginally smaller in every dimension than its wagon sibling.It will take on the hugely popular Xiaomi SU7 in China, while locally it is closest in intent to the Porsche Taycan or Audi e-tron GT.BYD is also prepping another new electric wagon, under its Fang Cheng Bao (Formula Leopard) sub-brand, the S GT, that will launch in the third quarter of this in China.It shapes up as a more family-friendly version of the Denza Z9 GT.The car will be offered with a single motor RWD variant, producing 300kW or a dual motor AWD set-up, that adds a front-mounted motor producing 190kW.It too has a substantial 850km range from a slightly smaller 92kWh battery.The S GT can tow up to 500kg, giving it some further lifestyle potential for buyers.Fangchengbao is the off-road sub-brand of BYD, but it will likely fall under the Denza name if it hits global markets, meaning it is not out of the question for Australia. Chinese brands have been increasingly targeting sedan and wagon markets globally as they seek profits outside of their domestic market.BYD has already started to see success on this front in Australia, with its Seal electric sedan and Seal 6 plug-in hybrid wagon. There are more examples on their way Down Under from China, including the Geely Emgrand PHEV sedan arriving next year.