BYD Yangwang U9 Xtreme EV is the fastest road car now

Key highlights:

• Yangwang U9 Xtreme becomes the first production car; goes past 500km/h
• 4 electric motors produce a combined 2220kW
• BYD will build just 30 examples worldwide

BYD has officially broken the world record for the highest speed achieved by a production car in a single direction. The BYD Yangwang U9 Xtreme has made automotive history, becoming the first production car to break the 500km/h barrier. 

The 2220kW electric hypercar reached 503.17km/h on a closed road in Abu Dhabi, beating its own previous record and setting two Guinness World Records. The achievement also puts the Chinese-made hypercar ahead of established performance icons from Bugatti and other high-speed specialists.

BYD Yangwang U9 Xtreme hits 503.17km/h

The Yangwang U9 Xtreme has taken the production-car speed record to a new level, reaching 503.17km/h on a 10-kilometre section of closed freeway in Abu Dhabi. The electric hypercar had already established itself as the world’s fastest production car in a single-direction speed run when it reached 496.22km/h at a German test track last year.

Its latest achievement pushes that figure beyond 500km/h and earns it two Guinness World Records:

• Highest speed achieved by a production car in a single direction
• Highest speed achieved by an electric production car in a single direction

The record-breaking run took place on Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed International Road, with German endurance racer Marc Basseng behind the wheel. Abu Dhabi authorities closed a 10km section of the highway for the attempt.

Around 7 kilometres provided the longest available straight for the high-speed run, and the preparation involved several steps:

• Crews swept the road before each speed attempt
• Authorities removed reflectors from the normally multi-lane highway
• Yangwang adjusted the car’s aerodynamics and tyre pressures

Engineers updated the suspension software to increase rebound damping in response to subtle road undulations.

The U9 Xtreme had already reached 490km/h the day before the record-breaking attempt.

Yangwang U9 Xtreme breaks Bugatti’s speed record

The new record puts the Yangwang ahead of some of the world’s most famous high-performance cars. Before Yangwang’s achievement, Bugatti held the single-direction production-car speed record with the Chiron Super Sport 300+, which reached 490.48km/h in 2019.

However, the fastest production car in a two-direction run remains the American SSC Tuatara, which recorded 455.3km/h in 2021.

Note: The Yangwang and Bugatti figures are single-direction records, while the SSC Tuatara figure represents a two-direction record.

Yangwang U9 Xtreme: Electric powertrain and performance

The U9 Xtreme takes the standard Yangwang U9’s four-motor electric powertrain and pushes its output considerably higher. The regular U9 produces 960kW from four electric motors and uses an 800-volt electrical architecture, and it can reach 391.94km/h.

The Xtreme increases the combined output to 2220kW, making it the most powerful production car ever built, according to the supplied figures. Each of the Xtreme’s four electric motors drives an individual wheel, producing 555kW apiece.

BYD has also upgraded the electrical architecture from 800 volts to 1200 volts. The company claims this system allows the battery to discharge energy at 10 times the rate of a conventional EV battery and twice the rate of rival electric supercars.

The performance figures extend beyond peak power delivery. Even at just 20% battery charge, the U9 Xtreme can supply 1,800 kW to its battery, and under deceleration, its regenerative braking system can recover more than 700kW. For perspective, that recovered power equals the combined output of three Tesla Model Ys.

Also read: BYD Yangwang Altior revealed with 1,000km range and $450,000

Suspension, wheels and tyres

The U9 Xtreme also uses specialised hardware to help it handle extreme speeds. It rides on 20-inch wheels fitted with staggered-width GitiSport e-Gtr2 Pro semi-slick tyres, and it also features active suspension that can lean the vehicle into corners like a motorcycle.

Yangwang has adjusted the suspension software specifically for the record attempt, increasing rebound damping to help the car respond to subtle changes in the road surface.

Only 30 Yangwang U9 Xtreme will be built

BYD will limit production of the U9 Xtreme to just 30 examples worldwide. One has already been purchased by Australian businessman Nick Politis, who serves as chairman of the Sydney Roosters NRL team and sits on the board of automotive dealership group Eagers Automotive.

Yangwang has confirmed that some customers have approved their individual vehicle specifications and are progressing towards contract signing and production scheduling.

BYD has not officially announced the U9 Xtreme’s price, but reports suggest it will cost more than 20 million Chinese yuan, equivalent to approximately A$4.3 million. For comparison, the standard Yangwang U9 costs 1.8 million yuan, or around A$390,000.

The Xtreme’s reported price makes it more than 11 times as expensive as the regular U9.