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Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD unveiled its new luxury car brand YangWang online on January 5, presenting the U8 plug-in hybrid off-road SUV and the all-electric U9 Supercar to Asian Media.
The U8 SUV has sparked global attention for its similar silhouette to the Land Rover Defender, but also the claim by BYD that it has a floating mode thanks to its sealed body, and it can also complete a crab-like 360-degree turn.
According to CarScoops the U8 is a body-on-frame SUV with a quad motor layout and sophisticated technology to assist it’s offroad capability.
It says the U8 is 5300 mm long and has a wheelbase of 3050 mm, figures comparable with the Land Rover Defender 130.
According to CarScoops each motor in the U8 produces 220-240 kW and 320-420 Nm of torque, resulting in a combined output of 820 kW. The combined power output allows the SUV to accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 3 seconds flat.
It also brings advanced torque vectoring functions to the electronically controlled four-wheel-drive system which is said to be 100 times faster than a conventional one.