By Steven Symes 
People are freaking out after Chinese automaker BYD released a promotional video showing its Yangwang U9 electric supercar jump over a pothole, some spikes, and a chalk flag. It did all this supposedly while driving itself. Because what we really want is a supercar that drives itself and jumps over stuff.
Foreign automakers are suffering in China.
Supposedly, the supercar uses its adjustable suspension to “jump” while driving and can launch almost 20 feet forward while going about 75 mph. This is the sort of thing we can bet is useful just about never, unless you live in a crappy city with huge potholes (yes, we’re talking about Detroit).
BYD has grown its reputation for whipping out ultra-cheap, and by that we mean the word in every sense, electric cars. It even has one that sells for $10,000 and is probably scarier to drive than a Mitsubishi Mirage.
But many Western journalists just fangirl over BYD hard. We’re suspicious of the company and its involvement with the Chinese Communist Party. That includes this video, which we added so you can see it, because the whole thing looks highly edited, almost like a big CGI fest out of a Marvel movie.
The BYD Yangwang U9, which just rolls off the tongue, is going to be sold for $233,400 when it launches, a far cry from the automaker’s humble roots. We’d love to see some truly independent reviews of the all-electric supercar after it launches, not some access journalism reviews we’re sure will pour in, because something seems a little… interesting here.
As Chinese automakers continue to make overtures to the US market and incoming President Donald Trump has signaled he will oppose such moves, we expect the rhetoric surrounding what Chinese cars can supposedly do will only increase. Taking all of that with a grain of salt would be a wise approach for everyone.
Image via CarNewsChina/YouTube