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Latest story: 06 November 2026 Written by

By Khris Bharath –  November 06, 2026

Yangwang U9 Xtreme Breaks Sets New World Speed Record

Chinese automaker BYD's (Build Your Dreams) luxury division, Yangwang, has pushed its U9 Xtreme electric hypercar to 503.17 km/h (312.65 mph), becoming the first production car to officially cross the 500 km/h barrier. German racing driver Marc Basseng achieved the record on November 1, 2026, in Abu Dhabi, with the announcement following earlier today on November 6. Yangwang chose a closed section of Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed International Road (E11) in Abu Dhabi's Al Dhafra region, a stretch of highway I've driven countless times during my travels across the Emirates. Authorities closed 10 kilometers (6.21 miles) of highway, including a seven-kilometer (4.35-mile) straight, with crews reportedly sweeping the road beforehand. After two runs on October 31 produced 490 km/h (304.47 mph), engineers adjusted the aerodynamics, suspension, and tire pressures before Basseng finally crossed the 500 km/h threshold on his fourth attempt. View this post on Instagram A post shared by FIA - Official account (@fia.official)   Footage reveals a stripped-out cockpit with a racing bucket seat, harnesses, and exposed carbon-fiber components. Onboard telemetry shows 30°C (86°F) ambient temperature and 58% humidity, underscoring the thermal demands of a run exceeding 300 mph. The FIA recognized the achievement, which secured two Guinness World Records for production-car and electric production-car speeds in single-direction runs. Guinness independently verified the speed using a calibrated VBOX system, with an FIA representative reviewing the data. Crucially, the 503.17 km/h figure represents a one-way maximum, not a two-way average. The SSC Tuatara's verified 455.3 km/h (282.9 mph) two-way average from 2021 therefore continues to remain a separate benchmark. <- Gallery -> Yangwang's record-breaking streak extends well beyond this latest achievement. In August 2025, the U9 Track Edition reached 472.41 km/h (293.54 mph) at Germany's ATP Automotive Testing Papenburg proving ground, establishing a new electric-vehicle top-speed record. Just a month later, the renamed U9 Xtreme reached 496.22 km/h (308.34 mph) at the same facility, surpassing the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+'s famous 490.48 km/h (304.77 mph) run at Volkswagen's Ehra-Lessien test track in 2019.  And it's no straight-line specialist either, because in August last year, German racing driver Moritz Kranz completed a lap of the Nürburgring Nordschleife in 6:59.157, breaking the previous electric super sports car category record by roughly 5.8 seconds and becoming the first car in that category to lap the circuit in under seven minutes. As a quick recap of the U9 Xtreme’s performance numbers, under its carbon-fiber bodywork, four electric motors produce a combined 2,220 kW (approximately 2,977 hp), more than twice the standard U9's output. Each motor spins at up to 30,000 rpm, supported by a 1,200-volt architecture, high-performance Blade battery, DiSus-X active suspension, and carbon-ceramic brakes. Just 30 examples are planned, with prices reportedly exceeding 20 million yuan (approximately $2.9 million). For more than a century, the pursuit of outright speed has taken engineers and drivers to extraordinary places, from Daytona and Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats to Europe's proving grounds. Now, a familiar stretch of Abu Dhabi highway has entered the history books. With the 500 km/h barrier finally broken, the question is who goes faster next. View All Supercars and Exotic Cars for Sale Images: BYD

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