Abstract:
Middle East, on the lawn of the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, BYD officially revealed its ultra-luxury new car "Dingyao" YANGWANG ALTIOR. Altior is derived from Latin and means "higher". This is also the first time since the birth of the Yangwang brand that it has a separate name away from the alphanumeric sequence of U7, U8, and U9.
Looking up at Dingyao Altior’s official debut | Image source: Geek Park
This new car is likely to be 5.5 meters in length, with a double body, large wheels, and double doors. The appearance design alone shows that this is a new competitor targeting the market of super old money such as Rolls-Royce.
Just one day ago, the U9 Extreme became the fastest production car in the world certified by the FIA with a speed of over 503 kilometers per hour.
Now, the debut of Altior shows that Chinese car companies are constantly challenging new limits in terms of technology and luxury.
Looking up "higher"
When introducing this ultra-luxury new car, the most popular word used by Li Ke, executive vice president of BYD Group, was not "luxury" but "palace". In her words, the "Dingyao" Altior itself is "a mobile palace."
Obviously, the press conference itself was held at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi. The Chinese character "ding" itself reminds people of the imperial power that dominates the world-"aiming for the world."
BYD’s design director introduces Dingyao’s design philosophy｜Picture source: Geek Park
The word "ding" itself has become an important symbol of Dingyao's new car. The front face and lights of the vehicle form a word "ding" that is very easy for Chinese people to see. In fact, looking up at the front face of the first car and U8, there is a similar design, but Dingyao has undoubtedly strengthened the focus of the design.
From the perspective of vehicle design, this car is more than 5.5 meters long. The horizontal and vertical lines on the side and the short tail give people a low-key and restrained feeling, which is in sharp contrast with the eye-catching front face. The side-by-side door design and pie-style wheels once again emphasize the luxury attributes of the vehicle.
Dingyao’s double-door design is exclusive to luxury cars | Image source: Geek Park
In addition to the tripod, when it comes to "imperial palace", it naturally refers to gems, gold and other elements. The front face of Ding Yao uses several gemstones to form a luxurious grille. If it is just gems, it can only be said to be a wealthy person.
Private customization is true luxury. Dingyao users can customize interior elements such as trim panels and seats, and these interior decorations are made by top craftsmen in traditional Chinese art, creating a true "exclusive car" that only belongs to consumers.
BYD Executive Vice President Li Ke introduces "Chinese-style luxury"｜Photo source: Geek Park
As for modes such as one-click rest and one-click privacy, they are must-haves for luxury cars, and Dingyao also has them all.
From the body shape to the customized interior, BYD Dingyao hopes to use technology and art to explain to overseas consumers what true "Chinese-style luxury" is.
Let’s talk about art first, then technology.
The Yi Sifang technology used in cars such as the U8 is also installed on the Dingyao sedan. The lidar on the roof of the latter shows that it clearly supports BYD's advanced intelligent assisted driving technology. In terms of energy replenishment, second-generation batteries and flash charging technology are also the default technology options for this car.
BYD hid something that day and did not tell people about other top technologies equipped with this car, which undoubtedly aroused people's curiosity.
Also hidden are the price and specific parameters. I believe that details about this super luxury car will gradually be revealed soon.
Plug-in hybrid open circuit, local escort
Before bringing Dingyao to the Dubai stage, BYD's focus had obviously shifted overseas.
Look carefully at BYD's sales performance from January to October 2026,
its total global sales were 3.622 million vehicles, while overseas markets soared by about 93%
,reached 1.507 million vehicles
, 170,000 units were sold overseas in October alone, accounting for 35% of the total sales. Cumulative overseas sales in the first ten months have already exceeded the full-year target of 1.3 million vehicles at the beginning of the year and 1.5 million vehicles after the increase in March.Overseas markets have become BYD's growth engine, and the Middle East is one of them that is growing rapidly.
In 2025, BYD sold approximately 1.05 million vehicles overseas, with the Middle East market growing by approximately 120% year-on-year. By July 2026, BYD exported 13,164 vehicles to the Middle East in a single month, and the Middle East jumped to fifth place in its overseas region. According to data from a single source, BYD sold more than 24,000 vehicles in the GCC countries in the first half of 2026, making it the number one Chinese brand in local sales.
Just one day ago, looking up at the U9 Extreme, it just set a new production car speed world record｜Photo source: Geek Park
In order to transport cars there faster, in early August this year, the ro-ro route from Xiaomo Port in Shenzhen to Khorfakkan Port in the United Arab Emirates was officially opened. The first "Changsha" loaded 6,068 cars in one go.
When selling new energy vehicles in the Middle East, BYD has extremely pragmatically chosen a product structure based on plug-in hybrids (PHEV).
The Middle East has low oil prices, few charging facilities, and temperatures that can reach 50 degrees in summer. These are all obstacles to the promotion of pure electric vehicles. Such a product structure can be understood as an adaptation to local conditions. Shipping volume data from the Gasgoo Automotive Research Institute shows that from January to February 2026, among the top ten countries for BYD passenger car exports, the United Arab Emirates ranked second after Brazil, with 14,885 units shipped, of which 14,332 plug-in hybrid models accounted for more than 96%.
In terms of business strategy, BYD has chosen to cooperate with large local consortiums, such as the most powerful local family consortiums, Al-Futtaim in the United Arab Emirates and Alghanim in Kuwait, and use each other's distribution network and after-sales system to expand sales. In response to the extreme local climate, the engineering team specially adjusted the battery thermal management and dust-proof design.
China’s new energy battle in the Middle East
If we widen our horizons and look at the entire wave of Chinese cars going overseas, the Middle East is not only a piece of meat, but also an extremely complex market.
In 2025,
China’s automobile exports to the Middle East will be approximately 1.39 million units, and the Middle East has become one of the second largest regional markets for China’s automobile exports
. There is a phenomenon that is easily misunderstood by the outside world, that is, "export volume does not equal local sales volume."Take the United Arab Emirates as an example. Its local new car market is actually only about 260,000 to 270,000 vehicles per year. However, customs data shows that from January to September 2025 alone, China’s automobile exports to the UAE reached 368,000 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 59%. In December of the same year, the UAE became China’s largest automobile export destination in a single month. The reason is that the UAE is the re-export trade hub of the entire region. After a large number of Chinese cars dock here, they are re-exported and distributed to other countries in the Middle East, Africa and even the CIS region.
On the actual local retail side, the main price ranges of Chinese brands in the UAE are compact and medium-sized SUVs ranging from AED 70,000 to AED 150,000 (approximately RMB 140,000 to RMB 300,000), which directly compete with the Toyota RAV4, Nissan X-Trail, Hyundai Tucson, and Kia Sportage. Jietu has even entered the top five in local sales. Driven by the Net Zero 2050 policy, the UAE government fleet procurement has begun to tilt toward electric vehicles.
In 2025, the sales of electric vehicles in the UAE will increase by 26.4% year-on-year, accounting for approximately 8% of the new car market. BYD's electric vehicle sales will increase by approximately 212% year-on-year.
The penetration rate of new energy vehicles in major markets in the Middle East is currently less than 5%, which is far lower than China's level of over 50%.
In Saudi Arabia, it is said that electric vehicles account for only about 1%. Although another claim is that Saudi Arabia's new energy vehicle sales will be about 80,000 units in 2025 and Chinese brands will account for about 70%, the resistance caused by lagging infrastructure and low oil prices still exists.On the streets of Abu Dhabi, Geek Park is not surprised to see domestic new energy vehicles on the road. Products from major manufacturers like BYD have indeed been integrated into daily life here. At the same time, as a place with extremely high density of wealthy people, looking up to large off-road vehicles like U8 is also an important option for local consumers besides Land Rover and Mercedes-Benz.
Going back to Dingyao, which was exposed tonight, an ultra-luxury pure electric sedan. It may not be the choice of ordinary consumers, but its super technology and luxurious design have obviously attracted the interest of local high-end users. From looking up to the U9 Extreme, the fastest production car on the planet, to the "most luxurious" "Dingyao", BYD is completing a brand transition in the Middle East.
After teaching foreign consumers "Chinese speed" and "Chinese technology", Chinese car companies now want to teach global consumers "Chinese luxury".
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