Yangwang U9 Xtreme becomes world's fastest production car

Detailed summary

BYD's luxury automotive brand Yangwang has set a new global speed record after its U9 Xtreme became the first production car to exceed 500 kilometres per hour.

BYD's luxury automotive brand Yangwang has set a new global speed record after its U9 Xtreme became the first production car to exceed 500 kilometres per hour.

The electric hypercar reached a top speed of 503.17km/h on Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed International Road in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, setting two Guinness World Records.

The achievement surpasses the previous record of 496.22km/h, set by the same vehicle in Germany in September 2025. Racing driver Marc Basseng, who also drove the car during its previous record-breaking attempt, was behind the wheel.

The latest records recognise the highest speed achieved by a production car and an electric production car in a single-direction run. The achievement has also received recognition from the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the governing body of international motorsport.

The U9 Xtreme is powered by four independent electric motors producing a combined output of more than 3,000 horsepower. It uses a 1,200-volt platform and BYD's Blade Battery technology, which the company says support high power output and thermal management.

The vehicle also features BYD's e4 Platform, which independently controls torque distribution across all four wheels to maintain stability at high speeds.

Opening of the article, excerpted from The Daily Star. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.