13 months and a handful of days. That’s how long it took BYD to break its own speed record and mark a new milestone in the race set to have the world’s fastest car. Chinese company YangWang U9 Xtreme, its most radical and exclusive supercar, has managed to break the 500 km/h barrier.
a milestone. YangWang U9 Xtreme reached a top speed of 503.17km/h. It reads faster but takes much longer to process the image. Or how it feels to drive a supercar that starts at such speed.
One who has experienced this is Mark Basseng, a racing and endurance driver who has already achieved another record in September 2025 with the YangWang U9 Xtreme. Then the Chinese brand set the bar with a top speed of 496.22 km/h. They had already made it clear at the time that they would try again to break the 500 km/h barrier.
Marc Basseng returns to the YangWang U9 Xtreme to break a new record. Photo: BYD
When and how? A new speed record has been achieved on the Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed International Highway (E11) in Abu Dhabi’s Al-Dhafra region. This road is perfect for this kind of challenge as it has very wide straights and is located at sea level and has perfect weather for this time of year. Also, it is the longest in the country with a length of 558.4 km and is the main artery of several cities on the way connecting Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
The record was established on 1 November and Basseng highlighted that the challenge of taking the record on the road “creates different challenges that make the vehicle’s precision, stability and confidence more decisive than ever”, compared to doing it on a circuit.
Certificate, but with some. In its statement, BYD highlighted that the record was certified by the FIA, verifying that the top speed was 503.17 km/h. Thus, the YangWang U9 Xtreme has become a car with the highest top speed achieved by a production car in a single direction, and the highest speed reached in a single direction by an electric production car.
The problem is that speed records are made with a double successive pass (one in each direction) to establish which is the fastest car in the world, for example, to eliminate the advantage of tailwinds. In this case, this was not done so the fastest car in the world with a double pass remains the SSC Tuatara with an average speed of 455.3 km/h between the two passes.
and more details. In order to achieve maximum speed, the company explains that the asphalt was thoroughly shaken before departure to avoid any small elements that could slow down the car. Likewise, the engineers optimized the temperature of the batteries and motors before starting the car, and the spoiler angle, tire pressure and suspension were also configured for the occasion.
These improvements were implemented between October 31 and November 1 On the first of these two days, two passes of about seven kilometers were made which served to test the terrain On November 1, after work by the engineers, it was the moment of truth with two more passes resulting in that 503.17 km/h top speed.
Without taking away the qualification. While the new speed record stars, the truth is that the company’s progress in less than two years is incredible. In January 2024, the car recorded its first top speed of 309 km/h at Wuhan Hannan Airport in China. The same year, they took the supercar to 391.94 km/h at the ATP Papenberg test circuit in Germany.
In August 2025, at the same circuit, the company managed to raise its own ceiling to 472.41 km/h, and a month later it took the record of a production car in a single pass, which reached 496.22 km/h. Now, just over a year later, he has broken a new record.
Additionally, along the way, the company had to make up for a failed attempt at a Chinese test circuit. A few days ago BYD released pictures of the record attempt which destroyed a car after crashing at 400 km/h. The pilot, however, came out unharmed.
the car. The YangWang U9 Xtreme is the company’s most radical supercar yet. It has four electric motors, one per wheel, that generate up to 755 HP and add up to “more than 3,000 HP of power,” according to the brand. The standard version of this car is “only” 1,217 HP.
To power the motors, Yangwang U9 can provide enough power to drain the battery in just two minutes.
Additionally, temperature management has been important. This 1,200 V platform allows you to generate 67% less heat than an 800 V platform at equivalent power. With regenerative braking power of up to 700 kW, it also reduces mechanical brake fatigue.
photo BYD
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