The YANGWANG U9 Xtreme has achieved a top speed of 503.17 km/h during a high-speed run in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, becoming the first production car to surpass the 500 km/h threshold. The speed, achieved on 1 November 2026, has been recognised by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the global governing body for motor sport and the federation for mobility organisations worldwide.

The achievement exceeds the previous benchmark of 496.22 km/h, established by the same vehicle in Germany in September 2025. The latest run has also secured two Guinness World Records for the highest speed achieved by a production car and an electric production car in a single-direction run.

The high-speed attempt took place on Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed International Road (E11), in Abu Dhabi's Al Dhafra Region, with German racing driver Marc Basseng behind the wheel. Basseng, an experienced sports-car and endurance competitor, also drove the U9 Xtreme during its previous high-speed achievement at the ATP Papenburg proving ground in Germany.

The latest milestone follows a period of development by YANGWANG, the luxury electric vehicle brand of Chinese automotive manufacturer BYD, which has progressively increased the performance of its U9 hypercar since the project's introduction in 2024.

The original YANGWANG U9 reached 309 km/h during testing in China in January 2024, before achieving 391.94 km/h at ATP Papenburg in October of the same year. The U9 Xtreme subsequently reached 472.41 km/h in August 2025, followed by 496.22 km/h one month later.

The latest achievement represents a further increase of 6.95 km/h, taking the vehicle beyond the 500 km/h threshold for the first time.

The Abu Dhabi attempt was conducted over two days, with the cooperation of local authorities inclosing the FIA and the closure of a 10 km section of road, including a seven-kilometre straight used for the high-speed runs.

Following two initial runs on 31 October, which reached a maximum speed of 490 km/h, engineers made further adjustments to the vehicle's aerodynamics, suspension settings and tyre pressures to improve stability and performance. Two additional runs were completed on 1 November, with the second achieving the final speed of 503.17 km/h.

The U9 Xtreme is powered by four independent electric motors producing a combined output of more than 3,000 PS. Its technical specification includes a 1,200-volt electrical architecture, an advanced torque-vectoring system and specialised high-performance tyres developed in collaboration with Giti Tire.

The vehicle also incorporates an active suspension system designed to optimise stability and control at high speeds, alongside battery and thermal-management technology developed to support the demands of high-performance electric driving.

The latest achievement adds to the U9 Xtreme's performance at Germany's Nürburgring Nordschleife, where it achieved a lap time of 6 minutes 59.157 seconds, establishing a lap record for production electric vehicles.

With the 503.17 km/h speed now recognised by the FIA, the achievement represents a significant milestone in the continued development of electric vehicle technology and demonstrates the performance capabilities of modern all-electric production cars.