BYD Yangwang U9 Reviews

BYD's tough looking family SUV could be destined for Australia.The Titanium 7 or Ti7 is a similar size to the Toyota Prado, but its fully-electric set-up means it sits in a largely untapped space of the market. It is from BYD's FangChengBao sub-brand, which is sold wearing Denza badges locally, and spawned the B5 and B8 4WDs.There are also plug-in hybrid versions of the Ti7, which have a 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine paired with either single or dual electric motors.This would be a more conventional rival to GWM Tank 300, which has been a popular choice in the Aussie market. The Tank 300 features a more rugged ladder frame chassis as opposed to the lifestyle-focused monocoque chassis on BYD’s example. It is expected this car would appear under the Denza sub-brand in Australia, following the launch of its B5 and B8 off-roaders recently.The Ti7 sits in between the B5 and the B8 in size, measuring at 4999mm long, 1995mm wide and 1865mm tall. Its wheelbase is 2920mm.Adding further fuel to the fire is the fact BYD has trademarked ‘Ti7’ Down Under, but there is no official news yet on its arrival. BYD Australia said the car is not currently on the brand's radar.The Ti7 comes in two variants which are a single electric motor rear-wheel drive, producing 300kW and a dual electric motor all-wheel drive, producing 515kW.Both models are fitted with a 106kWh battery, with the RWD offering 755km of driving range, while the AWD has 675km, both according to more generous CLTC testing standards. On the inside, there is a 15.6-inch central touchscreen and a 12.3-inch digital driver display, along with a head-up display spanning 26.0-inches along the windscreen. It has a starting price of 220,000 yuan, which is roughly $45,000, but expect a bump on that figure if it ever makes its way to Australia. 

BYD has officially revealed the next-generation version of the Atto 3 electric SUV – which it calls the Yuan Plus in the domestic market – at this year’s Beijing motor show.This new Atto 3 is considerably larger than the model it replaces. It measures in at 4665mm long, 1895mm wide and 1675mm tall with a 2770mm wheelbase.This is roughly 200mm longer than the current model and brings it more in line with the mid-size Geely EX5.Another major highlight is BYD’s new, second-generation lithium iron phosphate (LFP) Blade battery comes as standard, allowing flash charging from 10 to 70 per cent in five minutes.There’s either a 57.54kWh or 68.55kWh LFP battery pack, which is up from the current 50kWh and 60kWh units. The latter allows this new Atto 3 to travel up to 630km of range, according to lenient CLTC testing.Power comes from a single, rear-mounted electric motor producing either 200kW or 240kW, depending on the trim level.In terms of exterior design, the Atto 3 receives thinner LED headlights that are connected by a silver section, as well as a rear LED light bar. Other notable highlights include flush door handles, plus the availability of a LiDAR sensor that allows for semi-autonomous driving functionality.Inside, there’s a more minimal look including a new two-spoke steering wheel, larger non-rotating touchscreen multimedia system, as well as a new digital instrument cluster.At this stage it’s unclear if or when this new-generation Atto 3 will be coming to Australia.What is likely to arrive sooner is the updated, Evo version of the current Atto 3 which is already on sale in China and Europe. It’s already approved for sale in Australia.It takes the current, front-wheel-drive Atto 3 and gives it rear-wheel drive. There’s also an all-wheel-drive flagship with 330kW available.The electric motor(s) are fed by a larger 74.8kWh LFP battery and allow for up to 510km of WLTP claimed range, depending on the trim.The Atto 3 Evo operates on an 800V electrical architecture, allowing for DC charging at rates up to 220kW. This is a large improvement over the current car’s 88kW maximum DC fast-charging rate.

BYD’s 7217 Australian new car sales in March 2026 may not sound like a huge total when the brand is shifting around 400,000 units per month globally.But those vehicles sold locally last month were enough to give BYD its first top-three finish Down Under, making it the clear leader when it comes to Chinese car brands in the market.By most counts BYD is also the world’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer (overtaking Tesla in 2025) and sixth in sales overall.A Fortune Global 500 company, BYD claims to have a presence in over 400 cities, in more than 70 countries across six continents with annual revenue exceeding ¥602 billion (~$123B).So, why does the brand’s growing success in Australia matter in the broader context of BYD’s ambition of global automotive domination?  First, as it was for Japanese brands getting serious about exports in the late 1950s into the ‘60s, Australia is a unique test market with a car culture incorporating a multitude of diverse elements.A historical leaning towards large, powerful vehicles, often covering substantial distances. An appetite for innovation with a ready stream of early adopters lining up for whatever’s new and different. A broad population mix, an often challenging driving environment… and a million and one other things.But the biggest factor is that impressive, steady growth since BYD entered the Australian market with the groundbreaking Atto 3 SUV in 2022.And that’s in the context of the tidal wave of more than a dozen new brands from China arriving since, turning an already cut-throat car market into a white-hot cauldron of competition. When the car-retailing cage fight kicks off the first and often easiest lever to pull is price. But so far BYD Australia has relied on new product to top the opposition, with 2026 Q1 sales up a neat 100 per cent over the same period in 2025 (17,541 units vs 8767).At the same time, the Chinese giant is widely perceived as the instigator of an intense price war in its domestic new car market, designed to apply pressure to newer, more vulnerable players among the 100-plus brands currently active in China.But the aggressive strategy has impacted its own results with year-on-year sales down 7.8 per cent (to ‘only’ 3.55 million vehicles).Net profit and net profit margin have suffered and with high tariffs effectively putting the US market off limits for now, Australia becomes a centre of opportunity as well as a rare template for export strategy development.As they say in the car business, "You never go broke making a profit", and it will be interesting to see how far BYD can climb the local sales leaderboard from its current sixth position YTD (17,541 units), with fifth-placed Hyundai (19,101), Ford in fourth 20,172) and Kia in third (20,630) already within striking distance.  

Toyota is not overly concerned with the influx of Chinese car brands in Australia’s top-10 best-selling brands list, despite their increasing market presence.At the end of the first quarter of the year, Toyota remained well out in front with 44,490 units sold, but that represents a 23 per cent drop on the same period last year.Just outside the top five, the Chinese giants are waiting to strike. BYD (17,541) was the sixth best-selling carmaker for the quarter, followed by GWM (14,878), while Chery (11,736) is now in ninth place, and MG (10,595) rounds out the top 10, keeping Isuzu Ute and Subaru out of the list.All four of these Chinese automakers have aggressive targets and plans to grow significantly in Australia, with BYD hoping to one day be the new top brand.Despite the encroaching Chinese brands, Toyota Australia Vice President Sales, Marketing and Franchise Operations John Pappas said he “respects all of Toyota’s competitors”, but highlighted Toyota’s strong product offering and aftersales and customer support as brand strengths.“For us, it's not just about selling a car for us, right? You know, for us, it's all about the customer experience. It's about, you know, making sure that we've got great products, first and foremost, that we can service our customers with,” he told CarsGuide.“But it's also about the brand experience. It's about the aftersales support we give them. It's about the warranty. It's about the resale of the vehicle. It's about the whole end-to-end value proposition that we can enable a great experience at every single touch point with our customers, and that's what's most important for us.“It's not just about the sale of a new vehicle. We want to make sure that we can look after them the whole way across the journey. And you know, we've got an extensive dealer network that is the best in the business that continues to provide that excellent care for our customers. And it's about how we contribute to society as well. So for us, it's a whole end-to-end proposition. For Toyota, that's what it's about.”Some newer Chinese carmakers including BYD have faced scrutiny from owners and pundits over a lack of planning in the early stages of their entry to the market. Parts warehouses took too long to ramp up, parts supply and distribution was poor and customer service was also lacking.Many of the brands including GWM, Chery and BYD have acknowledged these issues and have since put in place measures to address them.Pappas highlighted recent investment in Toyota's parts centres across the country, including in WA, NSW, Victoria and Brisbane, and ways of further improving the customer experience.In terms of wait times for new Toyota deliveries, Pappas said it was currently between three-to-six months, with some exceptions.He dismissed the threat of some of the newer Chinese brands that have ample stock of models and short or no wait times.“We know that our customers, from a wait time point of view –three to six months – if you can give them clarity within that period, it's okay. And that's where we're at at the moment.”

Australia's cheapest-ever EV is here, in the striking shape of the perfectly-timed BYD Atto 1 Essential from $24,000. And even the up-spec Premium, as tested here, from $28,000 promises price parity with petrol equivalents. But, behind the breakthrough is a talented and refined yet ultimately flawed supermini from China. So, while the Atto 1 is inexpensive, does it represent great value?

BYD has revealed two new flagship models at this year’s Beijing motor show.These are the 2026 BYD Sealion 08 SUV and Seal 08 sedan which shouldn’t be confused with the existing Sealion 8 and Seal sedan as they’re completely different vehicles.As reported by AutoHome, the Sealion 08 is available with either two- or three-rows of seating and measures in at 5115mm long, which is 100mm longer than a Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series.It’s understood it will be offered with both pure electric (EV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrains. The former will feature BYD’s second-generation version of its lithium iron phosphate (LFP) Blade battery technology and offer up to 900km of range, according to CLTC testing.Other expected highlights include air suspension and a rear-wheel steering system.The Seal 08 on the other hand is a large sedan that measures in at 5150mm long, 1999mm wide and 1505mm tall, with a 3030mm wheelbase. This makes it larger than a BMW 5 Series sedan.Similarly to the Sealion 08, both EV and PHEV powertrains are on offer. The former also receives a second-generation LFP Blade battery and operates on an 800V electrical architecture, allowing flash charging.The all-wheel drive version is reported to offer over 480kW and have a 0-100km/h sprint time of less than 5.0 seconds.The PHEV version of the Seal 08 on the other hand has a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine producing 115kW with an 200kW electric motor. No total system output has been detailed yet.The electric motor is fed by a 45.36kWh LFP battery pack and will offer over 400km of claimed electric range, according to lenient CLTC testing.Like the Sealion 08, the Seal 08 will offer a rear-wheel steering system that is aimed to reduce the turning circle at low speeds, but increase stability at higher speeds.At this stage it’s unclear whether the 2026 BYD Sealion 08 and Seal 08 will be offered in markets outside of China, or if right-hand drive versions are in the works.BYD only recently launched the Sealion 8 PHEV three-row SUV, as well as the Seal 06 PHEV sedan and wagon in Australia.

CATL has unveiled a new Lithium-Ferro-Phosphate (LFP) battery capable of charging in rapid time in response to BYD’s recent developments. The third generation Shenxing battery takes just 60 seconds to charge from 10 to 35 per cent, under four minutes to charge to 80 per cent and under seven minutes charging to 98 per cent, trumping BYD's LFP unit. CATL also said the battery is able to perform strongly at temperatures as low as -30-degrees, charging up to 98 per cent in nine minutes.This in part due to the battery achieving the world’s lowest internal resistance for fast charging at 0.25 milliohms, 50 per cent less than industry average. Internal resistance is one of the key issues preventing rapid charging times, as the heat generated from the transfer of electricity slows down the overall process. CATL is by far the biggest electric vehicle battery manufacturer in the world, producing nearly half of total batteries, including for brands such as Tesla. Ultra fast charging has been the latest battleground for carmakers, particularly in China as they look to expand their networks and battery capacities.BYD’s second generation LFP battery can charge from 10-70 per cent in five minutes, and to 97 per cent in nine minutes.This means CATL’s unit betters its Chinese rival. BYD has recently been boasting of its megawatt fast charging, which will come to Australia this year, offering 1500kW to replenish the Blade 2 batteries. It is not just the raw numbers where CATL has looked to improve the durability of its third-gen battery, in addition to its performance in cold temperatures. According to CATL, the battery maintains a state of health above 90 per cent even after 1000 ultra-fast charging cycles. The battery’s heat management system also facilitates ultra-fast charging even without specialised charging infrastructure.CATL’s battery has pulse rapid heating to increase the temperature quickly and enable high-speed charging regardless of the charging pile.The brand has further introduced a different type of charging infrastructure, which means batteries can either be charged or utilise battery swapping functionality.  CATL continues to explore other battery solutions, such as sodium-ion and solid-state.

The Chinese domestic version of the Atto 3, dubbed the Yuan Plus, will debut at the Beijing Motor Show later this week, and the company has now shared some core details after its completely overhauled interior was leaked recently.The new-generation car grows significantly in dimensions, from 4455mm long to 4665mm long, essentially making it closer to a mid-size SUV than a small one. It is also taller and wider, with a longer wheelbase than before.Many more significant changes are hidden beneath, swapping from a front-drive architecture to a rear-wheel drive one, with a more powerful motor and larger batteries than before.Its newly-upgraded electrical architecture allows the car to be compatible with BYD’s much-anticipated new ‘flash charging’ technology, which the brand says allows it to charge from 10 - 70 per cent in five minutes.It also gets two new battery sizes, either a 57.54kWh unit or a 68.55kWh unit (up from the current 50kWh and 60kWh options) with correspondingly higher driving range (either 540km or 630km compared to the current 410km/430km).Design-wise the new-generation car shares some of its motifs with the newer Sealion 8, with new wheel designs and sunken doorhandles, while maintaining the overall visage of BYD’s ‘Dynasty’ design language. The leaked interior shows an even deeper departure, debuting a new two-spoke steering wheel, larger non-rotating touchscreen panel, new digital dash and a more minimalistic approach to the cabin overall. It swaps the dumbbell vent designs for more traditional slot-type ones, while even the doorhandles are more traditional.Although this completely new-generation offering may seem like a good fit for our market, to capitalise on BYD’s exploding electric vehicle popularity, CarsGuide understands it is more likely we will instead receive a more heavily updated version of the current Atto 3, which has just debuted in the UK.Dubbed the Atto 3 Evo, this deeply facelifted model shares the current car’s dimensions and overall styling, with a mild nip-and-tuck to its front and rear bumpers, but unseen changes also make this version of the car a significant departure.Underneath, it also swaps to be primarily rear-driven instead of front-wheel drive, for the first time offers an all-wheel drive variant, and also features a larger 74.8kWh battery with an 800-volt architecture.This unlocks up to 510km of driving range, and DC charging at up to 220kW, a huge improvement over the current car’s 88kW.Inside, the Atto 3 Evo also gets an overhaul, but not as dramatic as it is for the Chinese-market version.The dumbbell-style vents are maintained, as are the odd rotary doorhandles and even the guitar strings for the doorcard bottle holders, but the rest of the interior gets an upgrade, with a new steering wheel, simplified centre console, upgraded door trims, and a larger digital instrument cluster.The fellow right-hand drive UK market gets almost entirely the same line-up as in Australia, just without the Shark 6 and Sealion 8, giving the Evo a much stronger chance to head Down Under.Expect to learn more about the future of the Atto 3 and more details on BYD’s future plans at the Beijing Motor Show imminently.

BYD has confirmed domestic pricing and specification details for its updated Sealion 05 compact crossover-style SUV prior to the electrified newcomer’s public debut at this week’s Beijing motor show. Offered in plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and pure-electric (BEV) form, the Sealion 05 measures just over 4.6 metres long (165 mm longer than the BYD Atto 3), close to 1.9m wide and around 1.6m tall.The DM-i PHEV version combines a 74kW 1.5-litre naturally aspirated engine with a single 120kW synchronous permanent magnet electric motor and two battery options - 26.6kWh and 34.3kWh - delivering (CLTC) EV-only ranges of 220km and 305km, respectively.The DM-i’s claimed fuel consumption on the combined (urban/extra-urban) cycle is 3.1L/100km, the car’s 65-litre fuel tank facilitating an overall range in excess of 2100km (CLTC).Alternately, the pure-electric Sealion 05 EV is available with two motor options; the first being a rear-mounted 200kW unit powered by a 57.6kWh LFP battery delivering a CLTC range of 540km.A higher output version of the motor is fitted to upper grades, sending 240kW to the rear wheels with a 68.6kWh battery good for a 630km range.BYD’s new ‘flash charging’ tech is onboard, generating a 10 to 97 percent top-up in just nine minutes.Standard feature highlights include a built-in fridge and an 8.8-inch instrument cluster joined by a 12.8-inch central media screen on lower grades and a 15.6-inch ‘floating’ display on premium variants. All versions of the car feature seven airbags with ‘DiPilot 100’ ADAS (Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems) tech at a minimum with optional Lidar-based ‘DiPilot 300’ adding ‘Navigate On Autopilot’ (NOA) functionality as well as ‘DiSus-C’ semi-active suspension with continuous damping control.Boot space on the DM-i hybrid is a generous 650 litres with all seats upright, that number shrinking to 600 litres on the EV, although the latter features a 10-litre front boot.Five versions of the Sealion 05 DM-i are available in the Chinese domestic market, ranging from ¥97,900 (~$20,000) for the entry-level 220 Starter to ¥127,900 (~$26,100) for the 305 Smart Navigator.And three Sealion 05 EV grades range between the 540 Navigator at ¥119,900 (~$24,500) and 630 Smart Navigator flagship at ¥145,900 (~$29,800).  CarsGuide contacted BYD Australia for comment on the Sealion 05’s potential for sale in the local market and a spokesperson said, "We do not have visibility of that vehicle on our product radar."

BYD’s Atto 3 mid-sized SUV is getting a cabin redesign which will have a more conservative look resembling the interiors of the rest of the model’s in the brand’s line-up according to leaked spy images.The spy shots surfaced in China and show a more toned-down cabin in the Atto 3 with the curved and free-flowing feel of the current model’s dashboard replaced with horizontal lines that bring a broader, more refined look.Gone, too, are the quirky, circular elements with the rotating interior door handles replaced by more conventional pull type. The gill-like central air vent design has been switched to regular slat styling and fans of the guitar-string door pockets will be sad to hear they're now gone in favour of regular plastic-moulded versions.BYD will likely launch a new version of the Atto 3 in China next month. Along with this redesigned interior the vehicle will also have new-generation batteries along with rear-wheel drive variants.Whether or not this Atto 3 from the spy images will be sold in Australia is not clear.What appears more likely is that Australia will get the version of the Atto 3 which went on sale this month in the United Kingdom. Known as the Atto 3 Evo it's an updated version which has the same cabin as our current car but with overhauled engineering - the biggest change being a switch from front-wheel drive to rear- and all-wheel drive.A larger 74.8kWh battery in the Atto 3 Evo gives a longer driving range of 510km and 800V architecture allows DC changing at up to 220kW. Australia’s current Atto 3 is offered only in FWD with two batteries - the largest being 60.48kWh with a maximum DC charging rate of 88kW.Power output is also much higher in the UK versions with the top grade producing up to 330kW. The most powerful Australian Atto 3 variant makes 150kW. CarsGuide reached out to BYD Australia for clarity regarding which Atto 3 would arrive locally - the Evo sold in the UK or the Chinese Atto 3 with redesigned cabin - but was told it was too early to speculate.Given the approval compliance documents for the import of a BYD Atto 3 with an output of 330kW were published in February this year on the Australian Federal Government's road vehicles standards website it appears likely the Evo is coming here soon.