In a bid to convince more people to switch to battery power, most EVs are loaded with innovative features. And some of the most useful relate to a task that’s as old as vehicles themselves: parking. Chinese carmaker BYD’s Yangwang U8 electric SUV has the most parking aids we’ve seen on a production vehicle. The latest trick showcased by the flagship EV SUV is a rear wheel slide-aided parallel parking that can happen in a matter of seconds.
We all know the drillโyou pull up next to a vehicle and reverse into the empty space behind it. However, this takes quite a bit of practice to master. And, if the lateral space is limited (i.e., cars parked closely on the other side of the road), classic parallel parking can turn into a hassle even for an experienced driver.
After surpassing Tesla (here’s how many people chose the Range Extender on the Cybetruck) as the world’s number one battery-powered car seller in the final quarter of last yearโmostly based on Chinese market salesโthe company held the BYD 2024 Dream Day earlier this month.
During the event, BYD showcased the intelligentโand autonomousโparking abilities of the U8, the flagship SUV of its Yangwang sub-brand. Think of it as their G-Wagon (hey, here’s a Tesla-swapped G-Class for you!).
With its four electric motors (one for each wheel), we already knew the Yangwang U8 could perform 360-degree “tank turns” and drive perfectly sideways. However, this parallel parking is a different stunt.
BYD’s Yangwang U8 electric SUV does parallel parking with differential steering
The parallel parking trick sees a human driving the nose of the vehicle into a parking spot. Subsequently, the Yangwang U8 locks the front wheels and slides its posterior to nail the parking maneuver by rotating the rear wheels in opposite directions.
BYD (the name stands for Build Your Dreams) even challenged human drivers to beat the SUV’s sliding maneuver by doing a classic parallel parking. However, we couldn’t find anybody who even came close while viewing clips on YouTube and X/Twitter. Given the tight lateral space and the fact that the parking space wasn’t that generous (6m long for a vehicle that’s 5.2m in length), this wasn’t a surprise.
Of course, this way of parking isn’t without its drawbacks, as it eats up the tires much quicker compared to regular use. Plus, it can leave some tire marks on certain surfaces, even though it doesn’t seem to do so on asphalt, as you can notice in the Wheelsboy clip below.
BYD’s Yangwang U8 offers automatic parking (valet mode)
In the second part of the clip above, the said vlogger demonstrates how the valet mode of the Yangwang U8’s automatic parking system allows the driver to select a parking spot for the vehicle, then exit the machine and simply let this handle the parking job while the human walks away.
Not having to constantly engage with an app or a smart key while the vehicle handles the automated parking is the novelty offered by the EV SUV’s valet mode.
Of course, selecting the parking spot in the first place does seem to require using an app. However, as you can see in the YouTube clip below (via BYD Fan), the car is perfectly capable of parking itself as described above. Unlike in the BYD 2024 Dream Day demo, the driver doesn’t walk away, but we can still see the vehicle doing its job. It’s also worth noting that the app had a map including the exact parking space (down to the number written on the floor) used by the electric SUV.
In China, the Yangwang U8, with its 1200 hp, is priced at around ยฅ1 million (roughly $140,000 at the current exchange rates).