BYD's flagship SUV has been spotted in China as 2026 BYD Dynasty-D gets road tested ahead of launch

BYD's flagship SUV incoming

BYD’s latest flagship has just been spotted in China.

Pictures of the incoming Dynasty-D three-row SUV have appeared in a report from Car News China.

The brand revealed late last month the car’s launch was going to be delayed until the second quarter of 2026, after being originally scheduled for the end of 2025.

Add CarsGuide as a preferred source in Google Search

Read more about BYD Dynasty-D

It was seen for the first time in April 2025 as a concept car at the Shanghai Auto Show.

We already know that it has a plug-in hybrid set-up consisting of a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine paired with front and rear mounted electric motors.

The electric-only driving range will be more than 200km.

The car has now been spotted in China during road testing where its exterior was kept mostly camouflaged.

2026 BYD Dynasty-D (Image: Yaofei Shuoche)

In keeping with the concept car designs, the large SUV features a sleek body with a sloped roof line and rear spoiler.

Curiously, pictures show hidden door handles on the Dynasty D, which are about to be prohibited in China.

Mostly notably the images reveal the car will come with rear wheel steering to aid manoeuvrability, given it's over five metres long.

With BYD looking to capitalise on its domestic market share, the Dynasty-D has the highest-end equipment, featuring the latest version of BYD's signature autonomous driving software.

The system has a LiDAR sensor, 12 cameras and a speedy Nvidia Orin-X computer processing chip.

There is also a continuous damping suspension system.

2026 BYD Dynasty-D (Image: Yaofei Shuoche)

The Dynasty-D is not the only large SUV BYD will launch in China next year, with the brand also launching a seemingly similar-sized Sealion 08 in early 2026.

Confusingly, the Chinese-market Sealion 08 is distinct from the Australian-delivered Sealion 8 three-row SUV, which is a re-badge of the China-market Tang L SUV.

We do not know yet if the Dynasty-D will be launched in Australia, but given BYD’s serious export PHEV push as well as its intention to land a top-three position in the Australian market it is a possibility.

The brand has already brought across its Sealion 6 SUV and Shark 6 ute as PHEVs, both of which have been sales successes.

A new Sealion 8 SUV will join in January of 2026.

There will also be a Sealion 5 mid-size SUV PHEV launching in the first half of next year as a budget option in the BYD range.