China’s BYD is gunning for supremacy in every possible automotive segment that has traditionally been the stomping ground of European and American brands. After setting the record straight in the hypercar world with the Yangwang U9 Xtreme, the Chinese behemoth is now going after Rolls-Royce and Mercedes-Maybach with the new Yangwang Altior.

The Altior, which debuted this weekend in Abu Dhabi, is a massive luxury four-door sedan that goes after the Rolls-Royce Ghost with a long list of features that only the world’s richest people would see as must-haves. It also one-ups its European rivals with something that would probably be labeled as “brash” by some suit-wearing executives.

First up, the Yangwang Altior is completely silent, and not because the Chinese have come up with some revolutionary way of making a massive V-12 engine less chatty than Rolls-Royce, but because it’s powered by an electric powertrain. No fewer than four electric motors and a second-generation Blade battery provide motivation without having to muffle the sound of gasoline exploding under the hood. A fancy suspension, which automatically adjusts settings for the best ride based on information received from a front-facing camera, is also part of the equation.

Thanks to the four individual motors, one at each corner of the car, the Altior can do something that no German or British luxury car has ever been able to: turn on a dime, just like a tank. The Altior also boasts an emergency flotation function that’s meant to help the driver get out of the car if it somehow ends up in water.

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