The Yangwang U7 made its UK show debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2026, where we had the opportunity to get up close with BYD’s flagship luxury saloon.
Displayed alongside the U9 Xtreme and the U8L, it showcased Yangwang’s latest design language and several of the technologies that distinguish the brand from BYD’s mainstream models.
Design
The Yangwang U7 is a large executive saloon measuring 5,265 mm long, 1,998 mm wide and 1,517 mm tall, with a 3,160 mm wheelbase. Its low stance, wide tracks and long wheelbase give it proportions closer to luxury performance saloons than traditional executive cars.
Its styling borrows cues from the Yangwang U9 supercar, including the distinctive C-shaped LED headlight signature and sharply sculpted front bumper. A fastback-style roofline flows into pronounced rear haunches, while frameless doors, flush door handles and an active rear spoiler help reduce drag. BYD quotes a drag coefficient of just 0.195.
Chinese buyers can also specify 20-inch or 21-inch forged alloy wheels, pixel LED headlights and a carbon-fibre exterior package.
Interior
The U7’s cabin combines physical luxury with a technology-heavy dashboard. Ahead of the driver is a fully digital instrument display, while the centre console is dominated by a 12.8-inch curved OLED touchscreen.
A separate passenger display sits opposite, and the dashboard design is finished with open-pore maple wood, Nappa leather upholstery and 127-colour ambient lighting.
Higher-spec versions feature 20-way electrically adjustable seats, seat massage, a heated centre armrest, a refrigerated compartment capable of cooling to -6°C or heating to 50°C, rear executive tables and a 23-speaker Dynaudio Platinum Evidence sound system with rising tweeters. Active road-noise cancellation and an integrated fragrance system further underline the U7’s luxury positioning.
Experience in the Yangwang U7
I spent time in the BYD Yangwang U7, and its electrically deployable door handles and automatically retracting driver’s seat create an appropriately premium first impression.
While I would have liked the steering column to travel higher, once inside, I found the front seats highly comfortable despite my six-foot frame. Back support was good, the headrest worked well, under-thigh support was very good, and the side bolsters did not feel intrusive to me, although broader occupants may find them restrictive.
The pedal box was well designed, with a particularly large dead pedal. I had about 10 cm of headroom to the roof liner.
The cabin combines sporting and luxury cues, with leather upholstery, a grippy flat-bottomed steering wheel and three displays covering the instrument cluster, infotainment and front-passenger functions.
The discreet dashboard-mounted AC vents cooled the cabin effectively, but their airflow direction must be adjusted through the screen. Almost every other function is screen-operated as well, with very few physical controls beyond those on the steering wheel. I would prefer old-school physical controls.
Visibility was acceptable, helped by small quarter glass panels and an additional camera display. However, the door cards sit quite high, the rear roofline slopes noticeably, and the fixed outer rear headrests restrict rearward visibility.
The rear seats were impressively comfortable and offered abundant knee room. I had about 8 cm of headroom, although the raised EV floor left me sitting slightly knees-up. The electrically reclining backrests and extending seat-base cushions can be operated using switches on the doors, while massage and lumbar functions require the touchscreen.
Rear passengers also get extensive massage programmes, four-zone climate control, a refrigerator with heating and cooling functions, coat hooks and a flat floor.
Three people can fit across the rear bench, but the firmer centre backrest and fold-out headrest mean I would consider the U7 primarily a four-seater, with the middle position better suited to a child or occasional use.
Specifications
The U7 is offered in China as both a battery-electric model and a plug-in hybrid, with both versions using Yangwang’s e⁴ four-motor drivetrain that independently controls torque at each wheel.
Combined output reaches 1,360 PS in the latest PHEV model, while the battery-electric version produces up to 1,306 PS (960 kW), enabling a claimed 0-100 km/h time of 2.9 seconds.
One of the U7’s headline technologies is the DiSus suspension system. The latest EV introduces DiSus-Z, which replaces conventional hydraulic anti-roll hardware with electrically actuated suspension capable of responding in around five milliseconds and adjusting ride height with millimetre precision.
BYD says the system actively controls body movement while also recovering energy generated by suspension travel.
The battery-electric model uses BYD’s second-generation Blade Battery with a capacity of 150 kWh and delivers up to 1,006 km of CLTC range.
The plug-in hybrid combines a 2.0-litre horizontally opposed turbocharged petrol engine with a 52.4 kWh Blade Battery, giving a claimed combined CLTC range of up to 1,100 km. BYD also claims the PHEV can recharge from 10% to 70% in five minutes or from 10% to 97% in nine minutes under suitable conditions.
Driver assistance is provided by BYD’s latest God’s Eye 5.0 system, which combines three LiDAR sensors, five millimetre-wave radars, 12 cameras and 12 ultrasonic sensors with dual NVIDIA Drive Orin-X processors.
The system supports motorway and urban navigation assistance, automated parking, remote parking and Yangwang’s sideways parking function.
Price & Availability
The Yangwang U7 is on sale in China, while BYD has yet to announce UK pricing or launch plans.
Its appearance at Goodwood marked the model’s first public showing in Europe and offered a preview of Yangwang’s long-term ambitions outside China. BYD has already confirmed that Denza will be the first of its premium brands to enter the UK, with Yangwang expected to follow once its dealer and aftersales network has been established.
Trained as an automobile engineer, I’ve been following the global car market since 2005. Over the past 17 years, I’ve been involved in online automotive analysis and publishing, traveling the world to drive, evaluate, and experience new cars and technologies.
