3 Reasons Why Tesla Shouldn’t Worry About BYD’s Newest Roadster Rival

Horsepower alone doesn’t give the U9 Track Edition a clear edge over Tesla’s Roadster

News of BYD-owned Yangwang preparing to release what will be the world’s most powerful electric vehicle (EV), the U9 Track Edition, has stolen attention from models like Tesla’s long-anticipated Roadster. Still, a closer comparison of the two cars suggests that Tesla’s Roadster should be able to hold its own. The U9’s standard edition was already powerful with 1,300 horsepower and a 2.36-second 0-60 mph time, but its manufacturer has upped the ante by equipping a special edition of the model with four motors, each producing 744 horsepower for a total of 2,976 horsepower.

What’s especially wild is that the vehicle is being developed as a street-legal model. In a filing with China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), BYD cited the U9 Track Edition as having 20-inch wheels, a carbon-fiber roof, a large fixed carbon-fiber rear wing, and a rear diffuser with adjustable blades for aerodynamic optimization. Optional aerodynamic parts for the U9 Track Edition include an enhanced carbon-fiber front splitter and an electric rear wing. 

Tesla’s first-ever car, introduced in 2008, was a Roadster, but a far less dynamic version. With an expected price of between $200,000 and $250,000, Tesla’s new Roadster is projected to have 1,000 horsepower. Despite having far less horsepower, Tesla’s second-generation Roadster will reportedly beat the U9 Track Edition’s 0-60 mph time of 2.3 seconds by 0.4 seconds. When equipped with the SpaceX package, the Roadster’s 0-60 mph time improves from 1.9 seconds to a projected 1.1 seconds. The SpaceX Package includes cold air thrusters around the car to increase top speed, braking, and cornering. While the prediction is a conservative one, filings signal that the U9 Track Edition will have a 217 mph top speed, whereas the new Roadster is set to exceed 250 mph. You’ll also get far more range with a Roadster at up to 620 miles compared to the U9 Track Edition’s 280 miles. Regarding price, a standard U9 costs around $233,000—so its Track Edition could easily outpace the Roadster and run over $300,000.

Why the Roadster’s delays may impact driver perceptions 

One pain point associated with the second-generation Roadster is its ongoing delays. The Roadster debuted as a concept in 2017, with CEO Elon Musk saying it would be on roads by 2020. After missing that target, Tesla pushed for initial deliveries to occur in 2024. Now, after multiple delays, a Roadster demo is expected in late 2025. BYD hasn’t yet confirmed a release date for the U9 Track Edition, but it launched the model’s standard version a while ago in February 2024. 

Final thoughts

There’s a lot to look forward to with the new Roadster, especially with its Tesla/SpaceX collaboration, but continual delays have caused some to associate the model with marketing fatigue rather than pure anticipation. Vehicles like the Polestar 6 can be seen as more direct rivals of the Roadster than the U9 Track Edition, but BYD caught everyone off-guard when it revealed this variant’s mind-boggling horsepower. Still, with BYD and Tesla developing the U9 Track Edition and Roadster, respectively, as street-legal cars, the next-generation Roadster appears to position itself as a better overall purchase.