The Yangwang U9 Xtreme has reached 496.22 km/h at the ATP proving ground in Papenburg, Germany. BYD presented the result as a production-car speed record. The run took place on 14 September with German test driver Marc Basseng at the wheel.
The U9 Xtreme is a heavily developed version of the electric U9 intended for extreme high-speed operation. It uses a 1,200-volt electrical architecture and four motors which, according to the manufacturer, can spin at up to 30,000 rpm. Combined output is quoted at more than 3,000 PS. Production is limited to 30 cars.
BYD also published a Nürburgring Nordschleife lap of 6:59.157. On that basis, the U9 Xtreme became the first production electric car to run below seven minutes there. The two results form part of a wider attempt to move BYD's high-voltage and four-motor control technology into the hypercar segment.
Top-speed records depend heavily on methodology, so the 496.22 km/h figure is best treated as the certified result of a specific Papenburg run and a record claimed by BYD rather than automatically equated with every historical record established under different measurement rules.