A week before the 2023 Auto Shanghai show, Chinese EV maker BYD revealed Tuesday the coolest suspension technology since the Citroen DS’s hydropneumatic system. However, instead of being used on a quirky French sedan, BYD’s DiSus-X suspension was showcased on a quad-motor electric supercar, the BYD YangWang U9. With DiSus-X, the U9 can drive on only three wheels and hop in the air on all four wheels. Yep. We live in a new world now, folks.
YangWang is BYD’s luxury electric sub-brand, and the U9 is its first supercar. Battery, power, and performance specs should be revealed next week at Auto Shanghai, but BYD smartly revealed this trick suspension system first, as it’s far more interesting.
BYD’s DiSus-X is the newest in a family of clever hydraulic DiSus suspension systems and debuts on the U9. More details on how the newest system works will come next week, but BYD is just showing off some of its tricks.
One such trick driving on just three wheels for short periods in case of a tire blowout, just like the old DS. The U9 probably can’t drive on three wheels for long, but it’s enough to get its driver home or to a repair shop in a pinch. However, the U9’s main party trick is its vertical leap. The suspension system can raise or lower the car at each corner independently, but if it raises each corner quickly, the kinetic energy is enough to jump the U9 an inch or two off the ground. If you’re wondering what the practical application for hopping a car is, stop being a square. It’s just cool.
With that level of suspension technology, BYD should be able to make a shockingly capable supercar that can level itself through corners, provide additional grip to specific tires, and even swaddle passengers in a way most supercars simply can’t. But who cares about any of that? The car can jump.
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