In 2026, the world now defines luxury not by exquisite and expensive goods, made with the rarest of materials costing princely sums.
Instead, luxury is now defined by rare, unique and oftentimes privileged experiences that require not just resources, but access to these activities. You need the savvy to look for them in the first place, over other plebeian pursuits.
Take for example, the BYD eMax-9 DM-i.
The cynic will casually dismiss the BYD as another cheap Chinese people-mover knock-off inspired by the now ubiquitous Japanese luxury vans like the Toyota Alphard, Honda Odyssey and in Japan, Nissan’s Elgrand, three of the most popular luxury vans that ultimately created and defined the segment.
All three offer space, refinement, versatility and practicality, not to mention their ease of use getting in and out of. Go further upmarket and you’ll see the Alphard’s Lexus twin, the LM.
But the eMax-9 is technologically better; it trounces many of the traditional legacy brands’ offerings thanks to BYD’s DM-i (dual-mode intelligent) technology which prioritizes hybrid-electric motoring, utilizing the internal combustion engine simply as a generator to charge the battery.
Pundits will refer to the eMax-9 DM-i as an extended-range electric vehicle, or EREV, with a plug-in capability that allows you to directly charge the onboard battery onto an external charger.
This simple but ingenious solution provides three very real advantages. The first is unparalleled range: 170 kilometers in pure electric driving thanks to its 36.6 kWh battery, with a total combined hybrid range of just over 1,000 kilometers for the top-tier Premium trim.
The lower Advanced trim offers a lesser but still impressive 95 kilometers of pure electric driving range with its 20.4 kWh battery. The total combined range is down slightly to 945 kilometers but its lighter thanks to the smaller battery which also helps overall efficiency. Even with the Advanced trim, it trumps the Japanese luxury vans in both electric-only and combined overall range.
What does this mean? If you live in a home with an outlet to plug in a home charger, you can in theory almost never gas up for months on end, as your eMax-9 will be driving predominantly on electric mode using power stored from its onboard battery. The engine needs only to turn on from time to time to lubricate itself for a few minutes.
A quick search online shows that the average Filipino motorist drives roughly 41 kilometers a day. Even with the Advanced trim’s lower 95 kilometers of EV-only range, you can use the eMax-9 pretty much gasoline-free for two whole days before charging is required.
The second biggest advantage is in the eMax-9’s driving feel, specifically its readily available power. Thanks to the electric motor’s immediate torque, the eMax-9 feels very responsive, ready for anything. Not a sluggish oaf that needs constant prodding to move.
And in some quarters, power is luxury, the ability to adjust to the changing conditions and power forward immediately. Others grapple to adapt to changing conditions.
It also gives you the confidence to overtake and tackle steep uphill ascents under full load. It provides the excitement to actually get behind the wheel and drive it yourself, something which cannot be said about driving most other humdrum vans and MPVs.
On a lesser note, the eMax-9 is quite rare. Whereas you’ll see an Alphard or three in every corner of an affluent neighborhood (BGC, Greenhills, Forbes Park or Ayala Alabang), the eMax-9 remains quite elusive, at least for now. It’s hard to keep something this capable, this versatile and this feature-packed a secret.
Aside from the powertrain, the eMax-9 is a technological tour-de-force: beyond the DM-i technology, there is BYD’s ADAS technology suite called DiPilot consisting of Adaptive Cruise Control, Automatic Emergency Braking and Lane-Assist, a 360° camera to see your surroundings, an enormous 15.6-inch infotainment screen with CarPlay/Android Auto,
plus other luxurious features like massaging seats with the middle row captain’s seats moving forward and back, and V2L (Vehicle-to-Load) power sharing, all designed for high comfort, safety, and efficiency in this large family MPV.
The driver gets a smaller 12.3-inch LCD display for the vehicle’s primary instrument panel. It even has 4G connectivity available, and being a high-tech BYD, offers over-the-air updates to its vehicle systems.
Breaking down the DM-i technology itself, BYD’s Super DM-i plug-in hybrid system is composed of a 1.5 liter turbocharged generator gasoline engine and an electric motor, offering a combined system output of a very broad 267 hp and 315 newton-meters of instant torque.
The eMax-9 is, as mentioned, very luxurious: sumptuous leather seats in cream with contrasting brown leather for the steering wheel, seat-backs and dashboard which feel very rich, literally. It’s a very mature, refined and classy combination, one that requires some savvy, experience and discerning taste to really appreciate. Overall, the interior is very clean, very minimalist with almost no physical buttons to distract your eyes from the visual feast that is the dash architecture. It will age gracefully given its elegant simplicity.
The downside? You need to go through the infotainment system to access the sub-menus to adjust even the simplest of things: side mirrors, climate control, etc. And it isn’t always intuitive, requiring a bit of time to get accustomed to. Thankfully, rear-seat passengers have their own physical buttons available.
On the road, the eMax-9 drives effortlessly. Aldous and I shared the vehicle for a week. Tito jokes notwithstanding, it’s hard not to fall for the eMax-9’s impressive mix of efficiency, driving dynamics, comfort and space. The throttle is responsive, there’s modest body roll, ride is very comfortable and because it operates primarily in electric-only mode, very quiet and vibration free.
You might think this to be a small matter, but the difference it makes to mind and body is otherworldly. You feel less tired, more refreshed and more focused due to the absence of noise and vibrations.
The 18-inch wheels with the Control Pro 10 tires sized 235/60R18 from Giti Tires do look a tad small, but the thick sidewalls no doubt help NVH isolation further and smooth out the rough, sharp vibrations and imperfections on the road. If you need to travel far and long then come home on the same day, the eMax-9 should be your first choice, be it as a passenger, or as a driver.
Overall, the vibe is elegantly effortless. The eMax-9 is the type of vehicle you want to be driving when you need time to rest, time to think, to refocus, to strategize or simply to pause and collect your thoughts. If you need to power nap, it can stay idling in electric mode with the A/C running to keep you safe and comfortable.
It’s also the type of vehicle you want to be riding in, or driving when you simply need to press on with your day, a multitude of tasks needing to be accomplished. Copious amounts of cargo, 470 liters behind the third row expanding to an enormous 2,036 liters with the third row folded away is available. Space is indeed a luxury nowadays.
The eMax-9 isn’t only effortless, it’s drama-free. And in a world full of unnecessary drama, that perhaps is the eMax-9’s biggest and most important luxury.
