BYD introduced its luxury NEV brand Yangwang (仰望) in January 2023 to target the price range of CNY 1 million. Yangwang is positioned above BYD's two other sub-brands, Fangchengbao and Denza to compete with European luxury brands.
Yangwang is set to launch a new flagship sedan called the Yangwang U7, which was unveiled at the 2024 Beijing Auto Show. The new vehicle will feature a 20-degree rear-wheel steering with a class-leading 4.85 meters turning radius.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Yangwang U7 will also feature a wind resistance of 0.195 Cd, which would match the Xiaomi SU7's drag coefficient and rank second in China in terms of aerodynamics. See the full ranking here.
The U7's four-wheel drive is powered by four individual motors, which can output 1,306 horsepower and reach a maximum speed of 270km/h.
BYD Yangwang has so far debuted two other vehicles, the Yangwang U8 range-extended off-full-size SUV and the Yangwang U9 electric supercar.
The Yangwang U7's versatility and nimbleness should come at no surprise considering the Yangwang U8's impressive turning radius of 5.76 meters for a full-size SUV.
A turning radius that even outclasses a tiny BYD Seagull
The Yangwang U7 measures 5,265mm in length, 1,998mm in width, and 1,528mm in height, and a wheelbase of 3,160mm.
Despite being nearly 1.5 meters longer in length than the BYD Seagull, the Yangwang U7 has a smaller turning radius of 4.85 meters.
The third lowest turning radius on this list is the recently launched IM L6, an affordable fastback sedan that is loaded with breakthrough technologies and four-wheel steering, enabling a turning radius of only 4.99 meters.
ADVERTISEMENT
This level of handling is superior to a Mini Cooper with a turning radius of 5.3 meters. The L6 starts at merely 219,900 RMB and its dual motor version is priced at 290,900 RMB.
The Yangwang U7 can also be compared with NIO's upcoming executive saloon, the ET9. The U7 achieved a lower turning radius than the ET9's (5.45m) mainly because its rear-wheel steering angle is superior at 20 degrees, compared to 8.3 degrees. However, it is unclear whether the U7 also offers drive-by-wire steering.
ADVERTISEMENT
Other full-size luxury sedans such as the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and Rolls Royce Phantom have a turning radius ranging from 5.5 to 6.9 meters.
For comparison purposes, we have included both Tesla Model 3 and Model S' turning radius, which are fair benchmarks to most sedans’ turning radius (11.8 - 12.3 meters) that are not equipped with rear-wheel steering.
The only Tesla vehicle that features rear-wheel steering is Cybertruck with a curb-to-curb turning circle of 13.26 meters and a rear-wheel steering angle of 3 degrees.
However, Elon Musk suggested that a software update will soon increase the steering angle substantially to 10 degrees.