BYD’s luxury off-roading SUV that can ‘swim’ for half an hour and perform 360-degree ‘tank turns’ on the spot has been caught testing in Australia’s outback, thanks to an eagle-eyed Chasing Cars reader in Alice Springs.
The U8 is sold under BYD’s Yangwang luxury sub-brand in China, though may abandon that badge to keep the focus on the local success of the BYD (Build Your Dreams) parent company branding in Australia.
Company insiders have previously told Chasing Cars that local distributor EV Direct is keen to import the U8 to Australia, expanding its 4WD offerings after the recent introduction of the BYD Shark 6 plug-in hybrid.
The U8 was photographed towing a caravan as part of hot-weather testing in the Northern Territory
While the U8 has similar dimensions to Toyota’s LandCruiser 300, it features a radically different powertrain – a plug-in hybrid set-up comprising quad electric motors and a 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine that generates power for the off-roader’s 49.1kWh battery.
Together, the motors provide the U8 with impressive outputs of 880kW and 1280Nm, while its claimed petrol-electric touring range is 780km.
The camouflage seems unnecessary considering examples of the U8 feature in a few BYD dealerships in Australia, with the likely intention on gauging the interest of Australian buyers.
BYD/EV Direct have been typically aggressive with pricing in Australia and it would be interesting to see where the U8 would be positioned considering it costs the equivalent of $250,000 in China.
The Toyota LandCruiser, which is powered by a 3.3L turbo diesel six-cylinder, costs from between about $97,000 and $146,000 before on-road costs.
