BYD unveils amphibious electric off-roader with 820kW

BYD has shown off a new luxury electric SUV with Land Rover looks and Ferrari performance.

Launched as the first model from BYD’s sub-brand YangWang, the U8 SUV uses four electric motors to produce a total of 820kW, sending the SUV to 100km/h from a standstill in a claimed 3.0 seconds – making it one of the world’s quickest-accelerating heavy-duty ladder-frame vehicle to date.

Despite its supercar performance, the YangWang U8 is designed as an off-road vehicle, but perhaps its most outlandish claim is that the vehicle is amphibious.

Thanks to body sealing and IP68-grade waterproofing on the electric motors, BYD says its new SUV can float. A video released overnight showed a camouflaged prototype U8 traversing a lake.

Thanks to the quad motors, the U8 is also capable of ‘tank turns’ – spinning 360 degrees on its own axis – as well as moving diagonally, like a GMC Hummer EV.

The company didn’t release images of the vehicle’s interior, but at an estimated ¥1 million ($AU215,000) in its native China, the YangWang U8 is priced in the luxury class.

It’s not clear whether the YangWang U8 will be manufactured in right-hand-drive, but Drive has contacted BYD’s Australian distributor for more information.