BYD Yangwang U9 Xtreme Breaks 500 km/h Barrier, Sets New World Record

BYD’s luxury brand Yangwang has rewritten the record books. Its U9 Xtreme electric hypercar became the first production car to cross the 500 km/h mark, clocking an astonishing 503.17 km/h in Abu Dhabi.

Record-Breaking Run in Abu Dhabi

The high-speed attempt took place on 1 November 2026 on a closed section of the Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed International Road (E11) in Abu Dhabi’s Al Dhafra region. German racing driver Marc Basseng was behind the wheel. He had also driven the same car to its previous record of 496.22 km/h at Germany’s ATP Papenburg track in September 2025.

The new figure has been recognised by the FIA and earns the U9 Xtreme two Guinness World Records. These include the highest speed achieved by a production car in a single-direction run, and the highest speed by an electric production car in the same category.

Yangwang U9 Xtreme Specifications

The U9 Xtreme is powered by four independent electric motors that together produce more than 3,000 PS (around 2,220 kW). Each motor can spin at up to 30,000 rpm. 

The car runs on a 1,200-volt ultra-high-voltage platform and uses BYD’s Blade Battery technology capable of extremely high discharge rates.

Advanced torque vectoring adjusts power to each wheel more than 100 times per second. The DiSus-X active body control system and specially developed high-performance tyres help maintain stability at these extreme speeds.

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Limited Production and Nürburgring Record

Only 30 units of the U9 Xtreme will be built worldwide. The first production-standard example was shown earlier this year, and some customers have already finalised their specifications.

Apart from the top-speed record, the same car also holds the production electric vehicle lap record at the Nürburgring Nordschleife with a time of 6 minutes 59.157 seconds.

Stella Li, BYD Executive Vice-President, praised the achievement. 

“I always tell people that our engineers are young, bold and maybe a little crazy – but in a good way! And again, we must congratulate them and the whole YANGWANG U9X team for an incredible next step and these astonishing records. 503.17km/h is a fantastic achievement, and it moves the benchmark for pure electric power even further ahead of where others might dream.”

With this record, the Yangwang U9 Xtreme has firmly established itself as the world’s fastest production car and a landmark in electric hypercar development.

Image Source: BYD