Author | Anjou Cao

Editor | Zhou Zhiyu

The enthusiasm of Chinese tycoons chasing millions of luxury cars and looking up at the U8 has yet to dissipate, and BYD once again shocked the audience.

Recently, the second model of the high-end brand under BYD, the U9, was launched. The sale price reached an astonishing 1.68 million yuan, and delivery will begin in the middle of this year.

With a price of 1.68 million, the U9 is currently the most expensive model sold by BYD; at the same time, it will also become the most expensive domestic electric car sold to the public; in the future, sports car brands such as Porsche, Ferrari, and Lamborghini, as well as BBA's ultra-luxury models.

On the one hand, it is shouting that “electricity is lower than fuel,” and BYD is about to gain a say in the mainstream car market and speed up the replacement of fuel vehicles; on the other hand, BYD is trying to rely on the Looking Up series to become a technical benchmark in the electric vehicle market, thereby becoming a powerful presence comparable to Ferrari and Porsche in the high-end luxury market.

Looking up at U9 is no mystery to the outside world. At the press conference in January of last year, BYD Chairman Wang Chuanfu appeared on the same stage with Yangwang U8 and U9. The U-turn while looking up at U8 and the car dance of looking up at U9 also left a profound impact on the industry.

Similar to the Looking Up U8, the Looking Up U9 is currently BYD's mass-produced model incorporating technology.

BYD has put a lot of effort into the body and chassis. The carbon fiber monocoque cockpit reduces the weight by 30% compared to aluminum alloy, making the vehicle run faster while improving safety. In terms of power systems, the U9 is equipped with Yisifang technology and is equipped with four high-performance motors. The maximum horsepower of the vehicle exceeds 1,300 horsepower and 2.36s per 100 kilometers, which can achieve a maximum speed of 309.19 km/h.

Coupled with the support of the Yunzhou-X active body control system, the U9 can adjust the power output of each wheel and body posture according to specific road surface conditions to ensure grip during high-speed cornering. This is also the technical support for U9 to perform cool car dances.

Zhang Xiang, a visiting professor at the Yellow River University of Science and Technology, pointed out that looking up to the U9 has more horsepower, and its top speed and acceleration performance of 100 kilometers are outstanding. As a simple sports car, these two indicators are quite excellent.

However, some industry insiders believe that the weight, battery life, and stability of continuous full power output are all natural enemies of supercars. Looking up to the U9 shows advances in electric vehicle technology, but there is still quite a gap in performance from traditional supercar brands such as Porsche, Ferrari, and McLaren.

For example, in laps in the last race, the U9's score was 2 minutes 17 seconds 65, which is much faster than the BMW M5 and Audi RSQ8, but inferior to models such as the Porsche 911 Turbo S (2 minutes 11 seconds), the AMG GT R, and the Ferrari 488 Pista.

Since compared to other supercars, even if you look up to the U9, which has more than 1,300 horsepower (traditional sports cars are around 600), its performance is not at the top of the supercar industry.

Zhang Xiang also believes that in the supercar industry, BYD's brand influence is not very high, and many superrunners don't agree that looking up to U9 can represent their identity.

However, the group that bought the U9 won't actually drive it on the racetrack for a long time, but for daily transportation or to drive a supercar home for the New Year in a decent way. Just as if you didn't buy a U8 specifically to go off-road; it's like crossing mountains and mountains in the wild.

This also makes its sales expectations not limited by traditional supercar sales. BYD also hopes that after disrupting the high-end luxury car market by looking up to the U8, it will also stir up the supercar market pattern, thus achieving comprehensive coverage of all price segments in the automobile industry and deepening the transformation of pure electricity.

Since delivery in November last year, the Yangwang U8 delivered 1,593 vehicles in December (the first full delivery month); in January of this year, the Yangwang U sold 1,652 units in August. With the launch of the U9, there is room for further improvement in sales volume.

This is also an important exploration for the transformation of the industry.

In the era of fuel vehicles, there were no supercars in China, which became a pity for the domestic automobile industry. Entering the new energy era, domestic car companies are seizing the trend and jumping into the wave one after another. Pure electric and hybrid products are constantly emerging, and they are developing their own core technologies such as batteries, architectures, and motors, sweeping the low, middle, and high-end automobile market by storm, and rivaling traditional fuel vehicles.

However, the electrification process of supercars has always been very slow. Until recently, the Extreme Krypton 001 FR and Haobo SSR were introduced one after another, but they have also been accompanied by questions and risks.

Currently, there are no pure electric supercars that are widely recognized by the market.

In 2023, Porsche delivered 320,000 vehicles worldwide, an increase of 3% over the previous year. Sales of the Taycan, the only mass-produced pure electric model, began to decline in 2022, and monthly sales fell to 275 units in 2023.

Other traditional supercar brands Ferrari and Lamborghini all had a year-on-year increase of over 10,000 units in global sales last year, but none of them are pure electric models; as for the Extreme Krypton 001 FR and Haobo SSR, they have never announced specific sales figures.

Today, it seems that BYD is hoping to break this impasse with the technological advantages it is proud of.

In addition to this, after being the top tram seller in the world and net profit surged in 2023, high-end technology, represented by looking forward to the launch of the U9, is also expected to allow BYD to advance sales and profits in the midst of a torrent of price wars.

In 2023, BYD's bicycle profits are declining due to large-scale price cuts and more investment in marketing expenses. According to China Investment Securities, based on the median value of BYD's performance forecast, it is estimated that BYD's net bicycle profit after deduction in the fourth quarter of 2023 will be 910,000 yuan, down about 1,400 yuan from the previous month.

As BYD continues to break through in high-end technology, SDIC Securities believes that because high-end models are generally more profitable, BYD's profits are also expected to increase.

As Wang Chuanfu said at the Guangdong High Quality Development Conference, electrification and intelligence are reshaping the luxury car market pattern. Independent brands, including BYD, have ushered in a high-end window.

After taking advantage of price advantages to control the 10-200,000 yuan tram voice in the Chinese market, Wang Chuanfu intended to take advantage of the new energy wave, break into the domination zone of fuel-powered sports cars, and break out of his own in the high-end luxury market.

This will determine whether BYD can go further and become a real giant in the global automotive industry.