BYD’s luxury sub-brand, YANGWANG, has officially rewritten the record books after its latest hypercar, the U9 Xtreme, clocked a staggering 496.22kph at the ATP Automotive Testing Papenburg circuit in Germany.
The run, which took place on Sept 14, not only smashed the previous EV record but also overtook the fastest petrol-powered car on record, making it the quickest production vehicle in the world.
The U9 Xtreme, or U9X as it is now officially called, began life as the U9 Track/Special Edition before being refined into a road-going production model.
It builds on the foundations of the regular U9 already sold in China, but with significant upgrades that push the limits of what an electric hypercar can do.
Among the highlights is a new 1200V ultra-high-voltage system (up from the U9’s 800V setup), a lithium iron phosphate Blade Battery capable of delivering an extraordinary 30C discharge rate, and four ultra-high-speed motors that spin up to 30,000rpm, generating more than 3,000PS in total.
The package is completed with track-focused semi-slick tyres and a recalibrated DiSus-X suspension system, tuned specifically for the brutal forces of high-speed circuit driving.
The record run was piloted by German racing veteran Marc Basseng, a name well-known in endurance and sports car racing circles.
According to him, the performance of the U9X was beyond what any combustion engine could realistically achieve. The instant response of the electric motors, combined with the lack of gear shifts or load changes, meant he could concentrate entirely on extracting the car’s potential on the long straights and high-speed bends of Papenburg.
For BYD and its YANGWANG brand, this achievement represents more than just a number. Company executives describe it as a breakthrough moment, proving that the boundaries of speed and performance can be pushed while remaining fully electric.
They credit the success to the relentless drive of the R&D team and the commitment to proving that electric mobility can sit at the pinnacle of automotive performance.
The U9X is not just a prototype, either. YANGWANG has confirmed that a very limited production run of just 30 units will be offered to customers worldwide. Its name, derived from the word “Extreme” with the added ‘X’ for the unknown, captures the spirit of a car designed to go beyond accepted limits.
