Remember the Yangwang U9? Yeah, the same 1,287-horsepower electric hypercar from China that made headlines a few months back for doing bunny hops and spinning in a circle at a standstill. In a recently released video, the BYD hypercar is seen driving autonomously and jumping over a variety of obstacles, including road spikes like in a game of Moon Patrol.
The US$236,000 EV is sold in China under BYD’s premium Yangwang brand. Previously, it was spotted driving on three wheels and hopping around in a sort of dance thanks to its Disus X active suspension setup.
Now, in the latest clip posted to YouTube by the Chinese publication CarNewsChina, the hop-happy car has been spotted demonstrating another party trick: jumping legit obstacles while flying down the road entirely autonomously – like it has a Game Shark built in.
BYD’s Yangwang U9 jumps over spike strip while self-driving in a crazy test
The U9 is seen tearing a straight course with three obstacles. Visuals from the car’s interior show that both of the front seats are empty, making it seem obvious that the car is maneuvering on its own, but it could be remote control.
The first obstacle is a massive 8-ft (2.5m) pothole filled with water. The BYD is traveling at 74.5 mph (120km/h) and just as you think it’s about to suffer some serious bent wheels at the very least, its drops lower to the ground as its Disus X suspension system compresses, then springs up to launch the five-and-a-half thousand pound (2,500 kg) EV into the air, reminiscent of Speed Racer’s Mach 5.
It travels more than 20 ft (6 mm) while airborne, clearing the ditch like it was purpose-built to cheat gravity.
The next obstacle, however, is every bad guy’s dream and not great news for law enforcement: a 13-ft (4-m) stretch of metal spikes – the kind of thing police use to thwart high speed chases. These spikes, which are 1.4 inches (36 mm) tall, are followed by a similarly-sized patch of brightly colored chalk stripes on the ground.
Screengrab from CarNewsChina
I don’t really understand the purpose of the colored stripes … perhaps they show how far the car can jump? Anyway, as the video shows, the U9 clears both of these remaining obstacles without breaking a sweat – and without anyone actually driving the car.
All of this is made possible courtesy of the Intelligent Damping Body Control in conjunction with Intelligent Hydraulic Body Control, providing the U9 with exceptional handling and stability.
This is an advanced level of active suspension, which contrary to passive suspension (which utilizes mechanical parts to absorb shocks and vibrations, such as springs and dampers), makes use of sensors, actuators, and electronics to modify the suspension configuration based on driving conditions.
Looking beyond the suspension, the car is powered by four electric motors that produce a ridiculous 1,287 hp and 1239 lb-ft (1,680 Nm) of peak torque. As mentioned earlier, it can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 2.36 seconds and does the 1/4 mile (400 meters) in 9.78 seconds at about 140 mph (225 km/h). Top speed? Yeah, it has one. 243.54 mph (391.94 km/h) at Nordschleife.
Screengrab from CarNewsChina
Speaking of which, the Yangwang U9 recorded a blistering 7:17.9 Nürburgring Nordschleife lap in November 2024. That makes it faster than the Nissan GTR or Porsche’s GT2 and GT3, but not nearly as fast as the Rimac Nevera. However, because the U9 isn’t available in the European market, the time hasn’t been officially recorded on the leaderboard. Dot a few i’s and cross a few t’s, and BYD can certify the car as a production vehicle worthy of some of the fastest-ever recorded times at Nordschleife.
It’s also the second vehicle Yangwany has made that has the unique ability to float on water, just in case it doesn’t jump far enough across that river you’ve had your eye on. The first was the off-road capable U8 SUV.
All of this is impressive, to say the least. But it’s hard to tell if it has any practical use-cases or if it’s just a marketing gimmick. Sure, it’s a great for getting eyes on your brand – but personally, that’s all I see to it.
Who needs a $236,000 hopping hypercar that doesn’t even need you to drive it?
Source: CarNewsChina
