Just last month, we reported on the Chinese all-electric hypercar, the Yangwang U9, and its Track Edition, which hit 472 km/h (294 mph) at the ATP Automotive Testing, in Papenburg, Germany and it became the new top-speed record for EVs, beating the Rimac Nevera's previous 258 mph record run. It was one of the first signs that BYD’s luxury arm was serious about rewriting the rules at the very top end of the performance spectrum. Now, only weeks later, the story has taken an even sharper turn as Yangwang has released footage of the U9 Xtreme (U9X) with an officially certified run of 496.22 km/h, or 308.34 mph.
That number is significant because it surpasses Bugatti’s Chiron Super Sport 300+, which famously hit a top speed of 304.8 mph back in 2019, making the YangWang U9 the fastest production car in the world. German racecar driver Marc Basseng, the same man behind the U9’s earlier record, once again took to the wheel. Last year, his personal best in the “standard” U9 was 233 mph. This time, with nearly 3,000 horsepower on tap from four powerful electric motors, he now joins the rare club of drivers who have gone past 300 mph in a street-legal car.
Now it is worth noting that this was in a single direction. Guinness World Records defines the fastest production car as a road-legal vehicle built in series production, sold to the public in the same specification, and verified by independent two-way average top-speed runs under standard conditions. When we consider that, the SSC Tuatara's record
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As for the hardware that enables this incredible performance, each of those four motors produces up to 744 horsepower, giving the U9X a total of 2,976 horsepower, which is nearly twice the standard U9 and even higher than the Rimac Nevera, which packs 1,914 horsepower, which is already one of the most powerful production cars. Also, the Yang Wang U9 runs on a 1,200-volt ultra-high-voltage platform, the first of its kind in a mass-produced vehicle. For some context, Porsche’s Taycan uses an 800-volt system, and in the real world, the higher voltage means more efficient power delivery, less heat, and shorter charging times.
Now the Bugatti remains a symbol of exclusivity, but the U9X offers this ballistic performance at a far more reasonable figure, amounting to around $235,000 and production is limited to just 30 units. While the accomplishments in the EV world continue to take place, and their achievements cannot be understated with engineers pushing the boundaries, what most startup brands often lack when compared to legacy automakers is heritage. Having said that, this record run does signal that the balance of power in the hypercar world is shifting. But with an established marque like Bugatti, now under the Bugatti-Rimac partnership, it remains to be seen how traditional automakers respond.
Source: YangWang, BYD
