WATCH: Unusual three-wheeling debut for BYD’s new EV hypercar

Chinese automaker, Build Your Dreams, better known by its abbreviation BYD, has previewed its latest hypercar in the most unusual way possible ahead of the Shanghai Motor Show.

Watch the strangeness below

Even if one wheel was taken off, the vehicle equipped with DiSus-X still showcased its ability to dance, jump and drive.#Yangwang #U9 #DiSus pic.twitter.com/nv1N0IZf3k

— BYD Global (@BYDGlobal) April 10, 2023

Styled to resemble the McLaren P1 and from some angles, models from Ferrari and Lamborghini, the humorously named Yangwang U5 is powered by four electric motors developing a combined 820kW/1 280Nm.

According to BYD, the U5 will get from 0-100 km/h in exactly two seconds, faster than some current combustion engine hypercar, and drive 700 km before requiring charging.

As mind-blowing the figures are, the main point of intrigue is the U5’s ability to run on three wheels as demonstrated by the product video.

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Free-wheeling on three

Said to have taken 30 months and 10 million kilometres of testing to perfect, the innovative Disus-X suspension is said to be the most “advanced vehicle body control system” in the industry, according to BYD, as it keeps the U5’s exposed brake disc away from the ground on the move.

According to the automaker, the setup involves its self-developed damper system called Disus-C, Disus-P that references the hydraulic body control system and Disus-A that points to the air body control system.

As indicated by the video, the final design doesn’t hinder the Yangwang U5’s pace as drives along on three wheels with the suspension’s kinetic power being additionally attributed as another reason for it not scraping its nose on the ground.

“The BYD Disus System will further secure the globally pioneering stance for BYD in the industry,” carscoops.com quoted BYD’s Chairman and President, Wang Chuanfu, as saying.

South Africa, no

Already branded as a modern-day take on Citroën’s famed hydropneumatic suspension that debuted on the DS in 1954, Disus, according to the Carscoops report and therefore BYD, has the ability to better any similar setups developed by the U5’s rivals without hassle.

How this will eventually translate into real life scenarios remains to be seen, but what is known is that the Yangwang U5 won’t be sold outside of its home markets and with the steering wheel on the right-hand-side. No pricing details in China has been revealed either.