Yangwang U9 Xtreme breaks the 312mph barrier with battery packs and electric motors

Chinese manufacturer Yangwang smashes its own record to become world’s fastest production car… again

Some of theearliest EVsto go on sale taught us that electric powertrains could be devastatingly quick, but very few predicted they would be snatching world records from the likes of Bugatti.

Yangwang, the luxury, high-performance sister company ofBYD, has claimed the production car speed record in Abu Dhabi, recording a top speed of 312.65 mph on a single run. That figure betters its own previous record of 308.4 mph, set in 2025.

“Why go to the extra effort for a few mph?” we hear you cry. Well, the new record makes the U 9 Xtreme the first production car to break the 500 km/h barrier… on a public road, no less.

Said road was a closed section of the Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed International Road (or the E 11, if you live locally), which presented its own problems. The team had to clear the road of any sand to ensure maximum traction.

Stella Li, executive vice president of YangWang’s parent company BYD, said: "I always tell people that our engineers are young, bold and maybe a little crazy – but in a good way!”

The car that rose to the challenge is a hardcore version of the already very fastYangwang U 9, with the Xtreme model using a 1200V electrical architecture and four upgraded electric motors to produce 2,978 bhp, compared to the 1,252 bhp of the ‘standard’ model.

How times have changed. The Chinese-born Yangwang U 9 has managed to deliver double the horsepower of aBugattiVeyron, and it has smashed its even more powerful successors to become the fastest production car in the world.

While the record attempt is a little contentious, owing to the fact that Yangwang only recorded its highest speeds during a single-direction run, as opposed to an average taken from each way, it is still mightily impressive… made even more so by the fact it is powered by batteries.

Yangwang says it will produce 30 of the U 9 Xtreme models to be sold worldwide, although it hasn’t gone so far as to mention how much they will cost.

The standard U 9, on the other hand, still boasts 1,252 bhp and the ability to leap off the ground thanks to parent company BYD’s DiSus-X Intelligent Body Control System.

Currently on sale in China and a number of other markets, these cost around $200,000/£200,000, which is a veritable bargain in the modern world of insanely powerful hypercars.

Follow TechRadar on Google Newsandadd us as a preferred sourceto get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.

Leon has been navigating a world where automotive and tech collide for almost 20 years, reporting on everything from in-car entertainment to robotised manufacturing plants. Currently, EVs are the focus of his attentions, but give it a few years and it will be electric vertical take-off and landing craft. Outside of work hours, he can be found tinkering with distinctly analogue motorcycles, because electric motors are no replacement for an old Honda inline four.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.