BYD is jumping in with its first luxury electric supercar as Ferrari delays its EV plans. Deliveries of BYD’s premium electric vehicle, the Yangwang U7, with four motors and close to 1,300 horsepower, began.
BYD has a new luxury EV sports sedan to beat Ferrari
Ferrari is postponing plans for its second EV for at least another two years, even though it was supposed to be released next year. Reuters was informed by two people with knowledge of the situation that the decision was made because of the weak demand for EV sports vehicles.
According to one source, there is “no real, sustainable demand for an electric sports car“, and it is not anticipated that Ferrari will produce its second EV before 2028.
In the meantime, BYD formally began shipping its first electric luxury supercar, the Yangwang U7, this month.
The Yangwang U7, which has four electric motors, can produce 1,287 horsepower (960 kW), which is enough to sprint from 0 to 62 mph (0 to 100 km/h) in under 2.9 seconds. A huge 135.5 kWh battery is also included, giving it a CLTC range of around 450 miles (720 km).
The flagship electric vehicle from BYD is as intelligent as it is potent. The Yangwang U7 is equipped with BYD’s “God’s Eye A” ADAS system, which consists of 12 ultrasonic radars, five radars, 13 HD cameras, and three Lidars.
Automated parking, Navigate on Autopilot (NOA) for city and highway use, and other smart driving and safety features are available with the system.
With DeepSeek AI and BYD’s DiLink smart cockpit system, the interior is centred around a “Star Ring Cockpit” design. With a 23-inch driver display and a 12.8-inch curved centre display, you can see that there is plenty of screen real estate. Six additional entertainment screens are installed for the front and back passengers.
The U7 has the same Disus-Z suspension system as other cars under BYD’s upscale Yangwang brand, which allows it to “dance” and even jump over obstacles on the road.
The U7 is marginally bigger than the Porsche Panamera, measuring 5,265 mm in length, 1,998 mm in width, and 1,517 mm in height.
The starting price of BYD’s high-end EV sedan is only 628,000 yuan, or roughly $87,000 in China. The four-seater model is still nearly half as expensive as the most economical Ferrari, costing 708,000 yuan, or approximately $98,500.
Ferrari still intends to introduce its first all-electric car on October 9 during its Capital Markets Day, and deliveries will begin that same month. Earlier this year, Ferrari’s first electric vehicle was glimpsed in public with a crossover-like appearance, giving us a preview of it.
The second EV will be more of a high-volume model, according to the sources, with Ferrari aiming to deliver 5,000–6,000 units over five years, in line with its usual models.
The price of Ferrari’s first all-electric car will be high. It is anticipated to cost more than half a million euros, or at least half a million euros.
Will the new Yangwang U7 from BYD disprove Ferrari’s claim that high-end EV sports cars aren’t popular? It has already been demonstrated by a number of Chinese EV manufacturers, including Xiaomi, who sold over 200,000 SU7 devices in less than a year.
After the U8 was introduced in September 2023, BYD’s ultra-luxury Yangwang brand delivered its 10,000th car in April.
In May, Yangwang sold 139 automobiles, comprising 94 U8 SUVs, 12 U9 electric supercars, and 22 U7s. We’ll see if Ferrari’s claim that there is “non-existent” demand for an electric luxury sports car is confirmed when additional sales data is made public.