Watch The YangWang U9 Xtreme Obliterate Bugatti's Production Car Speed Record
If you continue to doubt China's prominence in EV tech, look no further than the Yangwang U9 Xtreme, which has claimed the title of the world's fastest production car by knocking out a verified top speed of 308.4 mph (496.22 kmh).
In the hands of driver Marc Basseng, the record-breaking run was conducted at the Automotive Testing Papenburg oval in Germany, and it not only cemented the U9 Xtreme as the fastest EV on the planet but also dethroned the previous champion, the ICE-powered Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+. No doubt, Yangwang, luxury performance sub-brand of automotive giant BYD, is living up to its name as it means admiration in Mandarin.
Built on BYD's e4 platform, the U9 Extreme packs a quad-motor powertrain, where each of the four electric motors produces 744 horsepower, culminating in a combined 2,977 hp. This colossal figure is more than double that of the standard Yangwang U9 and surpasses its closest electric quad-motor rivals, the Rimac Nevera R (2,107 hp) and Aspark Owl (1,985 hp).
Managing all those horses is an all-new 1,200-volt silicon carbide architecture—the first of its kind in a production vehicle—which not only delivers faster bursts of electricity but also reduces heat generation by 67% compared to an 800-volt system. The U9 Xtreme's stores its electrons in a high-density BYD Blade Battery, also engineered to handle the extreme discharge rates.
On the road, the car's dynamics are managed by its DiSus-X Intelligent Body Control System and fully active suspension that manage pitch, dive, and body roll, providing stability not just for top-speed runs, but also in the twisties. In fact, if you thought the U9 Xtreme is a one-trick pony, the car recently set a Nürburgring Nordschleife lap time record for a production EV, circling the track in 6:59.157.
To meet the demands of a 300-plus mph run, however, the car's aerodynamics were tweaked with a fixed rear wing and a wider rear diffuser, while its braking system was upgraded with lightweight titanium calipers. It rode on custom Giti semi-slick tires, specifically developed to withstand speeds exceeding 310 mph.
As for availability, only 30 U9 Extremes are expected to be made. Although the company has yet to set the final price, it's expected to be significantly higher than the regular U9's $236,000 starting price
