BYD Takes Aim at Maybach's Home Turf

BYD has launched a fresh assault on the ultra-luxury segment.

On November 7, its administrative flagship sedan, the Yangwang Dingyao, made its global debut in Abu Dhabi. When asked whether the Dingyao would be priced at Rolls-Royce or Bentley levels overseas, the Yangwang side gave no figure, saying only that it would start with a limited edition.

A day later, Yangwang announced in China a pre-selection price of 2.08 million yuan for the "Shanhe Dingyun" limited edition, with a deposit of 300,000 yuan. Deliveries for this version are expected in the second quarter of 2027.

The new Maybach S-Class launched in China this September carries a guide price of 1.398 million yuan for the S 480 and 2.527 million yuan for the S 580, placing the Dingyao limited edition squarely between the two. The Dingyao executive version, shown alongside it, has yet to be priced.

Three years ago, Yangwang broke into the million-yuan market with the U8, capable of turning in place and wading through water in emergencies. In the first ten months of this year, Yangwang sold 3,546 vehicles, 387 more than the same period last year. The U8 series alone sold 586 more units, reaching 2,237. The sports sedan U7 fell from 1,415 to 1,284, and the supercar U9 also declined. All of Yangwang's sales growth came from the U8 series.

The Dingyao took three years to develop. While BYD was still refining the car, Yangwang had already heard a different kind of demand from U8 owners. Yang Feng, president of the Yangwang Research Institute, noted that the early U8 was designed as a hardcore off-roader, but when owners drove it into the city, some complained the chassis was stiff and the seats not comfortable enough. To address this, the team retuned the suspension of the long-wheelbase U8L. The six-seat U8L Dingshi edition was launched at 1.28 million yuan. In August this year, Yangwang introduced the four-seat Dingcang edition priced at 1.458 million yuan.

Hu Xiaoqing, general manager of Yangwang's sales division, said at the debut event that the U8 and U8L focus on off-roading and safety, the U9X pursues top speed, and the U7 balances performance with sedan comfort. With the Dingyao, the team aims to apply the same standards to every part of the vehicle.

In the UAE, Yangwang already sells the U8 Arabia edition through local dealers. Asked about plans for the Gulf market, Yangwang said local customers value tradition but are also willing to try new technologies.

Rolls-Royce has disclosed that in 2024, the Middle East was the region with the highest average per-vehicle customization spending globally.

On November 8, BYD also showcased an integrated solar-storage-charging flash charging system in Abu Dhabi, and introduced a flash charging robotic arm and "one-click park and charge." Li Yunfei, general manager of BYD's branding and public relations department, expects the group's full-year sales this year to grow slightly over last year, with even higher growth overseas. He said that driven by the second-generation Blade Battery and flash charging technology, the company's overall performance in the domestic market is better than the broader domestic market.

Denza and BYD's main brand have also adopted flash charging. At the two-million-yuan price point, another bet Yangwang is placing is on customization. Li Ke, BYD's executive vice president, spoke at the debut event about the Dingyao's leather. To balance feel and durability, the team compared more than 150 leather suppliers. Wolfgang Egger, BYD's global design director, said Yangwang is expanding personalized customization, bringing Suzhou embroidery, lacquer art, and wood inlay into the cabin. Transcending limits to start a new journey. In a subsequent Q&A, Yangwang said that after accepting reservations, the team must still finalize the custom design with customers before entering delivery.

Back in China, the administrative sedan market has already ceded some ground to new brands. According to compulsory insurance data compiled by Huayuan Securities, among the six mainstream administrative sedans it tracks, models transacting above 600,000 yuan totaled about 49,000 insured units in 2025, down from about 50,000 the previous year. The market contracted slightly, yet the Zunjie S800, launched just this year, had about 12,000 insured units, surpassing the Maybach S-Class's roughly 11,000.

Despite overtaking in sales, the price gap remains. According to the same report, the S800's monthly terminal transaction price in 2025 ranged from 800,000 to 900,000 yuan, while the Maybach S-Class ranged from 1.39 million to 1.5 million yuan. Even taking the closest ends of the two ranges, the difference is 490,000 yuan. The S 580's guide price provides a reference above two million yuan for the Dingyao, but when it comes to negotiating, buyers can equally present the actual quote from a Maybach dealer.

In June this year, Zunjie launched the S800 Classic Grand View, starting at 1.388 million yuan. Early store samples from Chefans show that about 20% of Classic Grand View customers already owned an S800 and were buying an additional one. Among the first batch of orders at these stores, some buyers also spent extra on a customization package beyond the base price.

Yangwang is starting with customization, and the first batch of Dingyao cars can have their designs negotiated individually with buyers. At the pre-selection price of 2.08 million yuan, a limited edition costs nearly 700,000 yuan more than the guide price of the Maybach S 480. The executive version shown alongside it has not yet been priced by BYD. That price will be harder to set. To pursue the 800,000 to 900,000 yuan business alongside the Zunjie S800, Yangwang's flagship sedan would have to sell for less than its own U8. Yangwang does have a ready reference: the four-seat U8L sells for 1.458 million yuan. But based on last year's domestic transaction conditions, a buyer with that budget could already walk into a Mercedes store and drive away a Maybach S-Class.

Over three years of building the U8, Yangwang has established its own brand recognition in the market. When choosing an off-roader, customers can pay for a single capability they happen to like. BYD spent three years creating the Dingyao to make rear-seat passengers familiar with Yangwang as well, but more effort is still required.