One of BYD’s 30 Yangwang U9 Xtreme hypercars is on its way to Sydney, and it is the only one in Australia. To think, the figures would have stopped most individuals in their tracks. Four electric motors give about 3,000 horsepower to each tire individually. Last year, this machine could reach 308 mph on a German test track and complete a lap of the Nürburgring in less than seven minutes. BYD claims that this makes it the fastest production vehicle ever built on public roads, which is no small accomplishment.
Billionaire Nick Politis spent more than 20 million yuan, or around 2.9 million US dollars, on his latest toy. BYD chairman Wang Chuanfu personally handed him the keys at the Beijing Auto Show in late April. The pricing is approximately eleven times more than the ordinary Yangwang U9. So, where did it all begin for Politis? He is of Greek heritage, however he moved to Sydney in the 1960s. In 1974, he founded a tiny auto dealership named City Ford, and over the next few decades, he was able to grow that little business into a national network. Today, he has control of Eagers Automotive, the country’s largest car reseller, and guess what? They have partnered with BYD to sell their vehicles in Australia. Because of this business link, it’s unlikely that anyone in the industry was surprised to learn that he purchased this hypercar.
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However, rugby league also plays an important role in his life. He has been the chairman of the Sydney Roosters since 1993. But things started a little earlier than that: he originally sponsored the team in 1975, when his dealership paid for the front-of-jersey emblem, which was a major deal in Australian sport. During his tenure at the club, the Roosters won four premierships and established a reputation as one of the league’s most dependable and successful teams. Current players still speak of him with a mix of respect and admiration.
People who know him say he transitions seamlessly between boardroom meetings and hanging around in the locker room at the football club. He amassed his fortune through sound business judgments in the automobile industry and astute real estate investments. But what’s more impressive is that he never stopped turning up to training sessions and chatting with the supporters. He’s the same with his new hypercar, which he says will spend the majority of its time at BYD showrooms and events rather than sitting in a garage somewhere. To be honest, that’s probably a good thing anyhow, given Australia’s regulations on importing left-hand drive vehicles. So this will serve more as a mobile billboard promoting the brand he already sells than anything else.
As soon as he signed the dotted line, work began on customizing the car. The team in Shenzhen is now working on the final details to ensure that everything is perfect before shipping. The trouble is, no two U9 Xtremes will be identical. The 1,200-volt electrical system, the super-special tires capable of reaching speeds of up to 310 miles per hour, and the carbon-ceramic brakes that let the entire thing to stop on a dime were all part of the combination that set a new record last September.
