Ballistic 880kW and 1280Nm hybrid off-road SUV coming? BYD could bring the 2026 Yangwang U8 to Australia to battle Range Rover, Lexus LX and BMW X7

One of BYD’s flagship models, the wild Yangwang U8 luxury off-roader, is actively being considered for an Australian launch, but it needs to jump some hurdles before it’s locked in.

The Yangwang U8 is an upper large plug-in hybrid performance off-roader and in China it retails for the equivalent of about A$260,000.

If it comes to Australia it will likely carry a different price tag but it would be the company’s most expensive model by some margin.

Rivals at this price point are largely premium upper-large SUVs like the Range Rover plug-in hybrid, Lexus LX600, BMW X7 and the electric Mercedes-Benz G580 or diesel GLS.

BYD Australia Senior Manager Product Planning and Pricing Sajid Hasan outlined what needs to happen for the Yangwang U8 to get the green light in Australia.

“It needs to be considered for right-hand drive development, (that) would be a starting point,” he told CarsGuide on a recent trip to China.

“That would be the biggest hurdle. Aside from that, once it's developed in right-hand drive, we'd be a no-brainer for a market to introduce it to just because of Australia's strong appetite for large SUVs that are high performance and highly specced.”

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2026 YANGWANG U8 ⚡ 880kW and 1280Nm ⚡ 0-100km/h in 3.6 seconds ⚡ 180km driving range (CLTC) Should BYD launch this 3.5-tonne beast in Australia? The 2026 Yangwang U8 is an upper-large off-roader with some cool features. It has a quad motor plug-in hybrid powertrain capable of ballistic speeds, and not only can it do a tank turn, it can also float in water. If it came to Australia it would be BYD’s most expensive model and could cost $250,000, making its rivals the 2026 Range Rover PHEV, BMW X7 and Mercedes-Benz GLS. #BYD #YangwangU8 #SUV #PHEV #car #carsguide #fyp

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Hasan said he was unsure of the progress of right-hand drive development for the model, but added that BYD Australia’s focus was on its mainstream for now.

“It's hard to say at this stage. I guess we're focusing on the roll out of more attainable models, but it's very important for us to have a flagship technology showcase, so I'd like to see it as soon as possible. But we're just focusing on the roll out of our more imminent models.”

It’s unclear if BYD would use the Yangwang marque in markets outside Australia, or if it would incorporate the model into its global Denza premium brand.

Hasan highlighted the aforementioned rivals from Lexus, Range Rover and BMW when asked whether Australians would be willing to pay that amount of money for a model from a new luxury brand.

“Going by the market, obviously as a new brand, especially when you're talking about that end of the price scale spectrum, your market is significantly narrowed. But there's already ample evidence of Australians paying in excess of $250,000, $300,000 for other competitor full-size luxury SUVs.

The Chinese market U8 is powered by four electric motors, each producing 220kW, and a 1.5-litre petrol engine that acts as a generator. The total power and torque is 880kW/1280Nm and it can blast from zero to 100km/h in just 3.6 seconds.

The massive body-on-frame SUV has a 180km electric driving range - on the lenient Chinese CLTC protocol - as well as vehicle to load charging, and it has the option of a drone system housed in a roof-mounted pod.

Size wise the U8 measures in at 5319mm long, 2050mm wide and 1930mm tall with a 3050mm wheelbase. And it weighs a staggering 3.5 tonnes. That is about 270mm longer, 60mm taller and with a 53mm longer wheelbase compared with the current Range Rover PHEV.

Some of the U8’s party tricks you may have seen online include the fact that it can float in water and move at 3km/h for up to 30 minutes, and it can do a tank turn.

Just some of the standard features in BYD’s home market include a 23.6-inch driver instrument display, 23.6-inch front passenger screen, 12.8-inch multimedia touchscreen, rear-seat entertainment screens, a 70-inch augmented reality head-up display, 22-speaker Dynaudio sound system, integrated satellite phone, a built-in refrigerator/freezer/heater in the centre console and three wireless phone chargers.