It seems China’s carmakers are looking beyond challenging established brands on price and EV tech. Now they are looking at a segment where brand heritage and exclusivity matter as much as engineering: ultra-luxury. The YANGWANG ALTIOR, BYD's flagship luxury sedan, seems like an attempt to take that fight to the Rolls-Royce Phantom.
At 5.6m long, the ALTIOR is comparable in presence to the Phantom, and its four-seat layout, coach doors, and business-class-like seating are very much like what we have been seeing from Rolls-Royce. It’s got a long list of high-end features, too, including mechanical massage, a 21.4-inch overhead screen, a 39-speaker Dynaudio sound system and a refrigerator that can cool or warm its contents.
The engineering is equally impressive. Four independently controlled motors, a fully active suspension system, tank-turn capability and emergency flotation, although their relevance to a chauffeur-driven limousine is debatable.
All said and done, matching the Phantom's size, features or technology may be the easier part. Rolls-Royce's appeal is built on decades of heritage, exclusivity and an established perception of prestige. The ALTIOR has the engineering and ambition to challenge that formula, but whether it can command the same reverence remains a different question.
