YANGWANG U9 Xtreme on the closed Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed International Road (E11) during the Abu Dhabi high-speed runs. Courtesy of YANGWANG / BYD.
BYD’s luxury brand YANGWANG says its U9 Xtreme electric hypercar has reached 503.17 km/h on a closed public road in Abu Dhabi — the first time a production car has been reported above 500 km/h in that programme. The figure, set on 1 November 2026, has been recognised by the FIA, and YANGWANG says it also secured Guinness World Records for the highest speed by a production car and by an electric production car in a single-direction run.
The announcement was amplified by BYD Europe on X on 6 November 2026, matching YANGWANG’s own press release and an FIA news note published the same day.
What was confirmed
- Speed: 503.17 km/h on 1 November 2026.
- Where: Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed International Road (E11), Al Dhafra Region, Abu Dhabi, on a closed ~10 km section with a ~7 km straight used for the high-speed runs.
- Driver: German sports-car and endurance racer Marc Basseng, who also drove the car’s previous 496.22 km/h run in Germany.
- Previous mark in this programme: 496.22 km/h at ATP Papenburg, Germany (September 2025), also with Basseng.
- Recognition: FIA recognition of the 503.17 km/h speed; Guinness single-direction production-car and production-EV records, per YANGWANG and the FIA.
YANGWANG’s release describes two days of runs. On 31 October the fastest pass was about 490 km/h. Overnight, engineers adjusted rear-wing angle, suspension software and tyre pressures. On 1 November a second pass reached 503.17 km/h.
U9 Xtreme at speed on the E11. Courtesy of YANGWANG / BYD.
The car: limited, very powerful, 1,200-volt
The U9 Xtreme is the high-performance version of YANGWANG’s U9 electric hypercar. According to the maker’s release:
- Four independent electric motors, each up to 555 kW (755 PS), for a combined output of more than 3,000 PS (YANGWANG cites about 3,019 PS).
- A 1,200-volt electrical architecture (the standard U9 uses 800 V).
- BYD Blade Battery (LFP chemistry) with high discharge capability claimed for sustained power.
- DiSus-X active body control and the brand’s e4 four-motor torque vectoring.
- Specialist high-speed tyres developed with Giti Tire.
- Production capped at 30 cars worldwide.
The same configuration also holds YANGWANG’s claimed Nordschleife production-EV lap of 6:59.157.
Driver Marc Basseng with the U9 Xtreme after the Abu Dhabi runs. Courtesy of YANGWANG / BYD.
How to read the “world’s fastest” claim
YANGWANG and BYD Europe market the car as the world’s fastest production car on the strength of this one-way peak. The FIA has recognised the 503.17 km/h achievement, and Guinness recognition cited by the maker is for single-direction runs.
That is not the same as every historical “two-way average” land-speed protocol used in other record attempts. The well-sourced takeaway is narrower: an FIA-recognised 503.17 km/h one-way production-car result from a 30-unit electric hypercar, on a closed highway with local authority support — not a claim that every competing record category has been retired.
Yangwang is not sold as a retail brand in Australia; BYD Australia has published no local list price for the U9 Xtreme.
Photo credits. All three photographs: courtesy of YANGWANG / BYD, from the official press package accompanying the Abu Dhabi 503.17 km/h announcement (Cision media for YANGWANG release 6 Nov 2026).
Sources. Written and analysed by EV Select.
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