BYD U9 Xtreme Becomes First Production Car Over 500 km/h
BYD’s Yangwang U9 Xtreme has officially become the first production car to exceed 500 km/h, reaching a top speed of 503.17 km/h (312.66 mph) on a closed highway in Abu Dhabi. The achievement was recognized by both the FIA and Guinness World Records, marking a significant milestone for the all-electric hypercar. This is the second top-speed record for the vehicle in just over a year, as it surpassed its own previous mark. BYD announced the record on X, describing the U9 Xtreme as the fastest production car on the planet and stating that it has done the impossible.
The speed attempt took place on a 10 km section of the Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed International Road, also known as E11, located in the Al Dhafra Region of Abu Dhabi. The emirate closed this section for the event, providing the team with a 7 km straight for the run. German racing driver Marc Basseng, who set the car’s previous record, was behind the wheel again. The process required two days of testing. According to the FIA, Basseng reached a maximum of 490 km/h on the first day. After an overnight period of adjustments to the rear wing, damping, and tire pressures, he achieved the new record of 503.17 km/h on his second attempt on November 1.
The previous record held by the U9 Xtreme was 496.22 km/h (308 mph), which was set at Germany’s ATP Papenburg proving ground in September 2025. That earlier run had already displaced the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ from the top of the list, which had recorded 490.48 km/h in 2019. The new record comes shortly after BYD released footage of a U9 Xtreme crashing into a guardrail at approximately 280 mph during an earlier high-speed test. In that incident, the driver walked away unharmed, and BYD immediately resumed testing, hitting 457.89 km/h on the subsequent run.
The U9 Xtreme is the track-focused version of the Yangwang U9, the flagship supercar from BYD’s luxury brand. It utilizes four electric motors, each rated at 555 kW and capable of spinning up to 30,000 rpm, resulting in a combined output of 2,220 kW. This equates to over 3,000 PS, or nearly 3,000 hp. The vehicle operates on a 1,200-volt architecture and uses a track-grade version of BYD’s Blade Battery. These are LFP cells, the same battery chemistry BYD employs in its most affordable city cars. For comparison, the Rimac Nevera R, which set multiple EV world records last year, has a top speed of 431.45 km/h. The U9 Xtreme also holds the production EV lap record at the Nürburgring Nordschleife with a time of 6:59.157.
Only 30 units of the U9 Xtreme will be built, with a price tag of around $3 million each. The vehicle is not expected to be sold in the United States, where BYD does not currently sell passenger cars. Despite the impressive figures, there are technical caveats to consider. The record was achieved in a single-direction run. The two Guinness titles listed for the attempt, highest speed by a production car and by an electric production car, are specifically designated as single-direction records. BYD’s announcement claimed four Guinness records, but the FIA’s official announcement only listed the two single-direction titles for this specific run.
Traditionally, production car top speed records are calculated as the average of two runs in opposite directions within one hour, a method designed to cancel out variables such as wind and road grade. This is how Koenigsegg established its 447.19 km/h record with the Agera RS in 2017. Bugatti faced criticism in 2019 when the Chiron hit 490 km/h in one direction on a pre-production car, a run that Bugatti itself acknowledged was not an official record. Additionally, the U9 Xtreme used bespoke semi-slick tires developed with Giti Tire for the attempt. It remains unclear whether the 30 customer cars will be equipped with these specific tires.
This achievement demonstrates that electric vehicles can sustain high top speeds, challenging previous assumptions that battery and motor overheating would limit performance before the car ran out of road. The use of LFP cells in a vehicle reaching 503 km/h is particularly notable. However, observers may hold BYD to the same standards previously applied to Bugatti, viewing a one-way run on a highway with a 7 km straight as a demonstration rather than a definitive record. The event serves as a marketing halo for the Yangwang brand ahead of its new ultra-luxury sedan and BYD’s push into Europe. The next step to watch is whether competitors like Bugatti or Koenigsegg respond with a two-way 500 km/h run, particularly as Koenigsegg has stated its Jesko Absolut can theoretically achieve this speed but has not yet attempted it.
Why it matters
This record demonstrates the rapid advancement of Chinese EV technology, challenging traditional European automotive dominance and signaling a shift in global high-performance vehicle standards.
FAQ
What top speed did the BYD Yangwang U9 Xtreme achieve?
The car reached a top speed of 503.17 km/h (312.66 mph).
Who was the driver for the record attempt?
German racing driver Marc Basseng was behind the wheel.
How many units of the U9 Xtreme will be produced?
Only 30 units will be built.
What type of battery does the U9 Xtreme use?
It uses a track-grade version of BYD’s Blade Battery, which consists of LFP cells.
Source: Electrek. See the original source for full details.
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