BYD Yangwang U9 Xtreme Sets 503 km/h Production Car Record in Abu Dhabi

BYD's Yangwang U9 Xtreme set a new world record top speed of 503.17 km/h on November 1, 2026. The run took place on a closed 10-kilometre section of a public road in Abu Dhabi's Al Dhafra Region.

The electric hypercar surpassed its own previous record of 496.22 km/h, which was set in September 2025 on a test track in Papenburg, Germany. Both attempts were driven by German racer Marc Basseng.

“I always tell people that our engineers are young, bold and maybe a little crazy – but in a good way!”

The achievement was officially recognised by Guinness World Records and the FIA. The U9 Xtreme secured two records: the highest speed achieved by a production car and by an electric production car, both in a single-direction run.

Initial attempts on October 31 reached a maximum of 490 km/h. Engineers worked overnight to optimise the vehicle's aerodynamics, suspension settings and tyre pressures before the successful run the following day.

BYD executive vice-president Stella Li praised the engineering team, describing them as young, bold and maybe a little crazy in a good way. She said the result moves the benchmark for pure electric power further ahead.

The record widens the gap to the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+, which posted 490.484 km/h in 2019. The Bugatti remains the fastest internal combustion-engined road car on a single-direction run.

The SSC Tuatara still holds the two-way production-car speed record, set in 2021, with an average speed of 455.3 km/h. The Yangwang U9 Xtreme is the flagship version of BYD's two-door electric hypercar.