BYD's YangWang U9 introduces DiSus suspension system

YangWang U9, BYD’s first electric supercar, took to the stage and the world went silent in amazement. It wasn’t for the car’s outlandish looks or its bright yellow color. It was because the car was bouncing and riding on three wheels like a good old lowrider and it even performed a little dance.

To fully appreciate it, you need to watch the short video. The car not only sways from side to side, but it rocks as well. It shifts its weight from corner to corner and eventually - it jumps. No joke - the car actually jumps in the air, all four wheels off the ground…

After you’ve watched the video over and over again, and the amazement dissipates a little, let’s find out what’s really happening. Let’s start with the name - the new smart hydraulic suspension system is called Yunnian which is the name given to vehicles used by emperors. It refers to the cloud-like comfort of the chariot carried by many men.

The English name though is far less exotic - BYD calls it DiSus. The system is divided into three subsystems - DiSus-A which controls the intelligent air suspension, DiSus-C which controls the intelligent damping and DiSus-P which controls the hydraulic part of the system. Three intelligent suspension systems combined into one mind-boggling solution.

The result is quite something. Yes, the YangWang U9 takes party tricks to the next level. BMW iX may shake its suspension before it takes off in performance mode, Mercedes GLE introduced a bounce mode that will keep passengers giggling for hours. It is YangWang U9 that takes the crown though since it can arrive on three wheels and then hop like an Easter Bunny.

What can the new suspension do? Well, it can rise up to 150 mm for starters. The intelligent damping part of the system processes thousands of signals per second and adjusts the firmness in milliseconds. So far nothing spectacular.

It is the hydraulic part of the suspension that makes the whole thing look like it's straight from the future. The DiSus-P is the world’s first intelligent hydraulic suspension, whatever that may mean. It has a fully adjustable 200 mm travel and it can lift and lower each corner independently.

It can increase suspension stiffness by 200 percent instantly to compensate for sudden vehicle movements. That means it will make the car stay flat regardless of the maneuvers it performs. Be it a twisty road, hard acceleration, or braking and direction changes - the YangWang U9 will stay flat as if it was stationary.

Then there are safety implications. It’s possible for the first time ever to drive a car with its wheel missing. In the unfortunate event, the car gets involved in an accident, the system can sense it and activates emergency mode which can reduce impact load by as much as 50% in case of the vehicle falling from a height.

The YangWang U9 that presented the DiSus system was equipped with its special edition called DiSus-X. It combined all three subsystems to showcase the performance and capabilities of the new solution. The first vehicles will use each system separately. YangWang U8, BYD's new electric SUV, will use the DiSus-P while the new Denza N7 will come with DiSus-A.

Via