BYD's Yangwang Altior luxury EV previewed with suicide doors, gemstone grille and solid-state battery hints

BYD is moving upmarket with its new flagship EV, featuring suicide doors, a gemstone grille, and possibly solid-state batteries.

BYD previews Yangwang Altior suicide doors and grille

Yangwang is like BMW’s Rolls-Royce and Mercedes-Maybach, sitting at the very top of BYD’s brand hierarchy.

The ultra-luxury brand offers BYD’s most high-end and technically advanced vehicles, including the U7 sedan, the U8, a hardcore off-road SUV, and the U9, an electric supercar.

Yangwang vehicles have previously debuted with BYD’s latest breakthrough tech, including its quad-motor e4 platform (delivering over 1,300 hp), its second-generation Blade Batteries and Flash Charging, and its DiSus-X intelligent body control system.

Its next model will push further into the elite segment. After BYD revealed the name of its new flagship executive sedan earlier this week, the Yangwang Altior, the company has released several new details ahead of its official debut.

Yangwang general manager Hu Xiaoqing confirmed on Friday that the new Yangwang Altior will feature suicide doors, a first for a BYD model.

The new door design swings open nearly 90 degrees, Hu said, creating a dramatic, wide-open entrance.

Hu also posted a preview of the vehicle’s front fascia, complete with a dot-matrix Gemstrone grille and crystal-inspired headlights.

BYD has not confirmed many details, but the ultra-luxury sedan is expected to be about 5,500 mm (216″) in length.

Images of the disguised vehicle released last month show a similar shape and size to the Mercedes-Benz Maybach S-Class or Rolls-Royce Phantom.

HU said last week that the global launch of the new flagship sedan will take place in the UAE, not in BYD’s home market of China.

BYD has not revealed an official date, but according to CarNewsChina, citing “sources familiar with the project,” BYD aims to unveil the new flagship model in Dubai, UAE, around November 5.

The Yangwang Altrio will feature “unprecedented disruptive technology,” Zheng Yu, Yangwang’s executive general manager, said.

In one image, the vehicle was charging at a BYD Flash Charge station, suggesting it will use its Blade Battery 2.0 and 5-minute Flash Charging technology.

Outside of the suicide doors, rumors suggest the flagship model will be BYD’s first vehicle to use solid-state batteries. Executive vice president Stella Li said during an interview with Carwow.es last month that BYD’s first vehicle to use solid-state batteries will debut in 2027.

The executive sedan is expected to debut around November 5. Prices are rumored to start in the 2 million yuan range, or about $300,000.

Yangwang’s current electric sedan, the U7, starts at 658,000 yuan ($98,000). The extended U8L, on the other hand, is the brand’s highest-priced mass-produced vehicle, starting at 1.45 million yuan ($217,000).