BYD’s Yangwang U9 Xtreme has moved the production-car speed conversation into new territory.
The Chinese electric hypercar has been credited with a Guinness World Record after reaching 503.17 km/h, or 312.65 mph, in Abu Dhabi, a figure that places it beyond both the 500 km/h and 300 mph milestones.
It’s a significant moment not only for Yangwang, but for the wider electric performance segment, which is now competing at the very top of the speed hierarchy once dominated by combustion hypercars.
At a glance
- BYD’s Yangwang U9 Xtreme has reached 503.17 km/h and been credited with a Guinness World Record for fastest production car.
- The electric hypercar completed the run on Giti Tyres with sports car and endurance racer Marc Basseng driving.
- The record was set on 1 November 2026 on the Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed International Road in Abu Dhabi’s Al Dhafra Region.
A 500 km/h moment for an electric hypercar
The U9 Xtreme, also referred to as the U9X, reached its record speed on the Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed International Road, known as the E11, in Abu Dhabi’s Al Dhafra Region.
Yangwang says the car was driven by Marc Basseng, whose background spans sports car and endurance racing.
The confirmed top speed of 503.17 km/h makes the U9 Xtreme the fastest production car and the fastest EV under the credited record claim.
That distinction matters because the headline number crosses a psychological threshold that has sat at the edge of hypercar development for years.
From 309 km/h to 503.17 km/h
The U9X’s path to the record has been incremental rather than sudden.
In January 2024, the car recorded 309 km/h, or 192 mph, at Wuhan Hannan Airport in China.
Later that year, it reached 391.94 km/h, or 244 mph, at ATP Papenburg in Germany.
By August 2025, the U9X had pushed to 472.41 km/h, or 293.54 mph, bringing the 500 km/h barrier into view.
A month later, it reached 496.22 km/h, crossing the 300 mph mark before the eventual 503.17 km/h run in Abu Dhabi.
Tyres become part of the record story
For the record attempt, the U9X was fitted with Giti Tyres.
The tyre brand was also credited in the record context as producing the fastest EV tyre and fastest road car tyre in the world.
At these speeds, the tyres are more than a supporting detail, since the loads, heat and rotational forces involved become central to whether a production-car record run is even possible.
Details & Specifications
| Brand | Yangwang, BYD |
|---|---|
| Model | U9 Xtreme, also referred to as U9X |
| Vehicle type | Electric hypercar |
| Record top speed | 503.17 km/h, 312.65 mph |
| Record claim | Guinness World Record for fastest production car |
| Driver | Marc Basseng |
| Record location | Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed International Road, E11, Al Dhafra Region, Abu Dhabi |
| Record date | 1 November 2026 |
| Tyres | Giti Tyres |
The U9 Xtreme’s record gives Yangwang a powerful place in the modern hypercar narrative, especially because it arrives from an electric platform rather than a traditional combustion flagship.
For collectors, engineers and performance obsessives, the number itself is impressive, but the broader point is just as striking: the fastest production-car conversation now runs directly through China’s EV industry.
