Yangwang, BYD’s flagship luxury brand, has unveiled the all-electric Altior, a four-seat sedan aimed at the top of the luxury car market. The car made its global debut in Abu Dhabi, according to BYD’s 7 November release. BYD has not announced India availability, pricing or market-wise launch plans.
The Altior is 5,600 mm long, 2,030 mm wide and 1,590 mm tall, with a 3,500 mm wheelbase. BYD says it uses coach doors, with the front doors opening to 80 degrees and the rear doors to 90 degrees, and umbrellas stored inside the doors. Indian motoring outlets, including Autocar India and India Today, have described it as a rival to the Rolls-Royce Phantom.
The cabin is laid out for passengers rather than the driver. BYD lists 1,209 mm of rear legroom, two reclining rear seats with mechanical massage, and a one-touch mode that reclines the seats, raises the leg rests, closes the sun blinds and adjusts lighting, sound and fragrance. A single touch folds the front passenger seat forward for the rear passenger. A powered 21.4-inch overhead screen supports entertainment and screen sharing for conference calls, and there are front and rear refrigerators. Luggage space is 532 litres.
Materials named by BYD include yellow Hetian jade on the air vents, Suzhou silk embroidery on the upholstery, semi-aniline leather, pure-wool floor mats and real-metal switches, with a 39-speaker Dynaudio sound system.
Under the body, the Altior uses BYD’s e⁴ platform with four independently controlled motors and a fully active body control system. BYD claims more than 1,000 km of range on China’s CLTC test cycle, whose figures are not directly comparable with WLTP or Indian test ratings. Power output and charging specifications have not yet been published; BYD says they will be announced separately.
The car will come in Executive and Bespoke editions, starting with a limited-run Bespoke Edition called Shanhe Dingyun.
For India, the nearer BYD luxury milestone is its Denza brand, whose India debut BYD has confirmed for 13 November, Autocar India reported. Whether the Altior follows to India is not known.