The fastest surpasses itself - the YANGWANG U9 Xtreme exceeds 500 km/h and sets a new world speed record in Abu Dhabi
Quelle: AutoMotoTV Int. (Glomex)
YANGWANG, the luxury brand from the world’s leading manufacturer of plug-in vehicles, BYD, has shattered its own world speed record, pushing automotive technology into a new dimension by exceeding 500 km/h with its U9 Xtreme hypercar. The new top speed achieved by the U9 Xtreme—503.17 km/h—surpasses last year’s mark of 496.22 km/h. This 3,019 hp vehicle has now earned two Guinness World Records: the highest speed reached by a production car in a single direction, and the highest speed reached by an electric production car in a single direction. This achievement has been officially recognized by the FIA, the global governing body for motorsport. The record-breaking run took place on November 1st on the Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed International Highway (E11), located in the Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi. Behind the wheel was racing and endurance driver Marc Basseng—the same driver who guided the U9 to its previous production-car record at the ATP Papenburg facility in September 2025. The choice of this location highlights Abu Dhabi’s capacity to host historic automotive milestones, thanks to its advanced infrastructure and the close coordination of local authorities. Surpassing 500 km/h is a goal the automotive industry has pursued for a century—a feat that had proven impossible to achieve using conventional internal combustion engines. By leveraging the power of BYD’s all-electric motor and battery technology, YANGWANG’s engineers have succeeded in ushering production vehicles into the "500+ km/h" era, just three years after the U9 project began.