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.
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.
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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.
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Images: BYD