BYD Altior price crosses Bentley with gold grilles and champagne holders for $300,000

After its U9X hypercar managed to hit more than 312 mph on the Abu Dhabi E11 highway a week ago, BYD used the hype to introduce a new halo car, the ultra-luxury Altior, that is clearly aimed at challenging the Rolls-Royces and Maybachs out there.

The BYD Yangwang Altior debuted in Abu Dhabi on Saturday as a long, four-seat executive sedan, and its preorders are now open.

BYD Yangwang Altior design and specs

The Altior measures 5,600 mm in length, 2,030 mm in width, and 1,590 mm in height on a 3,500 mm wheelbase. That wheelbase goes almost entirely to the people in the back, who get two individual seats with leg rests, champagne glass holders, and a center console with a control interface. There are also electric privacy sunshades and coach doors that open to nearly 90 degrees and hide umbrellas in the door panels. The cabin is a mix of wood trim, metal accents, and diamond-quilted upholstery.

The powertrain remained somewhat of a mystery, but BYD did disclose that it paired the limo with its powerful Blade 2 battery and flash megawatt charging technologies, quoting a CLTC range of over 1,000 km or 621+ miles, though it didn't become clear if that will be on battery power alone.

BYD Altior price and availability

The first version is a four-seat limited edition, capped at 399 units worldwide. It needs a 300,000 yuan (about $44,660) deposit, and the expected Altior price is 2,080,000 yuan, or roughly $310,000, though that isn't final.

The launch version offers Hetian jade vent trim, gold speaker grilles, and aramid fiber inside the doors. A five-seat version will follow later, too. BYD itself targets the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class and the Bentley Flying Spur competitors, as the Altior's long wheelbase and focus on rear seat comforts put it squarely in chauffeured car territory, but there would certainly be some overlap with potential Rolls-Royce Ghost buyers.

The Altior offers something Maybach and Bentley can't match, too, an electric or hybrid powertrain with claimed 1,000 km of range, at a price that is certainly high but not outrageous for this class. The world's largest EV maker certainly isn't shy about swinging big with the U9X and the Altior, and it would be interesting to follow which corners of the globe the Altior's inaugural 399 buyers will materialize from.

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