4 ms·

BYD launches $233K Yangwang U9 electric supercar that will smoke a Ferrari

19 points by e2e4 3y ago

bigfont 3y ago
I like this because it encourages affluent people to adopt electric vehicles. If we want to live in cities with clean air, quiet streets, and fewer gasoline stations, then it makes sense to encourage electric vehicle adoption. Many people look to the wealthy as role models, and many wealthy people seek status, so this seems like a win.
- searealist 3y ago
  They are just copying the Tesla playbook. Remember, they came out with the roadster first.
  - melling 3y ago
    Which playbook? BYD has shipped millions of EVs.
  - orangeboats 3y ago
    This kinda glosses over the entire history of BYD cars though. BYD started very low, selling cheap EVs or hybrids like the BYD F3, then slowly creeped up to being a mainstream brand (a la Toyota) in China, and is now moving towards the even higher end with cars like Yangwang U8. I guess my point is, it always seemed to me that their plan was to release products like the U9. It's just that they were doing it bottom-up.
  - lm28469 3y ago
    > they came out with the roadster first. Which is the literal opposite of what BYD did
  - rasz 3y ago
    Yes, roaster is soo cool, I see them everywhere at cars and coffee and drag strips and ... now back to reality. There is a very limited number of Roadsters still on the road. They are actually more valuable in parts than the whole car https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/how-many-roadsters-are-left.193562/ https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/how-many-roadsters-a... Second gen was supposed to ship what, 3 years ago?
genter 3y ago
Are Ferraris that fast? I thought the whole point of them was being loud and obnoxious (in every sense of the word).
- shiroiushi 3y ago
  I don't know how you got that crazy idea. The point of Ferraris is to look sexy and show off your wealth. They're pretty fast too, but not the fastest cars in the world (Lamborghinis are probably faster in a straight line). They're rather loud compared to a typical sedan car, but lots of other vehicles are louder. You're probably thinking of Harley-Davidson motorcycles.
  - presentation 3y ago
    So basically the whole point of them is being loud and obnoxious (in every sense of the word)
    - lm28469 3y ago
      If our goal was to have bland and underperforming things we wouldn't be that deep in capitalism
  - netsharc 3y ago
    > The point of Ferraris is to look sexy and show off your wealth. This is why I wonder why anyone (at least in the West) would buy a Yangwang, instead of a Ferrari. A handbag could be nicely designed and crafted excellently, but many would still rather pay more for a Louis Vuitton.
    - shiroiushi 3y ago
      Two things: 1) people really buy Louis Vuitton stuff for the brand name itself, so they can show off their wealth. "Look, I paid $500 for a belt that's no better than a $25 belt from Macy's!" So partially yes, a Yangwang isn't going to have the same brand appeal. 2) Unlike a belt, a layman can't tell how good a car is by just looking at it. Cars are incredibly complex machines. So normal people use brands and brand reputation to judge cars, which is why Toyota and Honda are so well-regarded. It takes a lot of time to build a reputation for quality, since people expect cars to last for many years without breaking down. A weird Chinese brand that no one's heard of isn't going to have a perception of quality until people in the West have been driving them for 5+ years. And people who buy to signal wealth, rather than for quality, probably aren't ever going to buy them.

19 points by e2e4 3y ago

I like this because it encourages affluent people to adopt electric vehicles. If we want to live in cities with clean air, quiet streets, and fewer gasoline stations, then it makes sense to encourage electric vehicle adoption. Many people look to the wealthy as role models, and many wealthy people seek status, so this seems like a win.

searealist 3y ago
They are just copying the Tesla playbook. Remember, they came out with the roadster first.
- melling 3y ago
  Which playbook? BYD has shipped millions of EVs.
- orangeboats 3y ago
  This kinda glosses over the entire history of BYD cars though. BYD started very low, selling cheap EVs or hybrids like the BYD F3, then slowly creeped up to being a mainstream brand (a la Toyota) in China, and is now moving towards the even higher end with cars like Yangwang U8. I guess my point is, it always seemed to me that their plan was to release products like the U9. It's just that they were doing it bottom-up.
- lm28469 3y ago
  > they came out with the roadster first. Which is the literal opposite of what BYD did
- rasz 3y ago
  Yes, roaster is soo cool, I see them everywhere at cars and coffee and drag strips and ... now back to reality. There is a very limited number of Roadsters still on the road. They are actually more valuable in parts than the whole car https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/how-many-roadsters-are-left.193562/ https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/how-many-roadsters-a... Second gen was supposed to ship what, 3 years ago?

genter 3y ago

Are Ferraris that fast? I thought the whole point of them was being loud and obnoxious (in every sense of the word).

shiroiushi 3y ago
I don't know how you got that crazy idea. The point of Ferraris is to look sexy and show off your wealth. They're pretty fast too, but not the fastest cars in the world (Lamborghinis are probably faster in a straight line). They're rather loud compared to a typical sedan car, but lots of other vehicles are louder. You're probably thinking of Harley-Davidson motorcycles.
- presentation 3y ago
  So basically the whole point of them is being loud and obnoxious (in every sense of the word)
  - lm28469 3y ago
    If our goal was to have bland and underperforming things we wouldn't be that deep in capitalism
- netsharc 3y ago
  > The point of Ferraris is to look sexy and show off your wealth. This is why I wonder why anyone (at least in the West) would buy a Yangwang, instead of a Ferrari. A handbag could be nicely designed and crafted excellently, but many would still rather pay more for a Louis Vuitton.
  - shiroiushi 3y ago
    Two things: 1) people really buy Louis Vuitton stuff for the brand name itself, so they can show off their wealth. "Look, I paid $500 for a belt that's no better than a $25 belt from Macy's!" So partially yes, a Yangwang isn't going to have the same brand appeal. 2) Unlike a belt, a layman can't tell how good a car is by just looking at it. Cars are incredibly complex machines. So normal people use brands and brand reputation to judge cars, which is why Toyota and Honda are so well-regarded. It takes a lot of time to build a reputation for quality, since people expect cars to last for many years without breaking down. A weird Chinese brand that no one's heard of isn't going to have a perception of quality until people in the West have been driving them for 5+ years. And people who buy to signal wealth, rather than for quality, probably aren't ever going to buy them.