Chinese automotive titan BYD says it has produced the world’s quickest production car — and it’s electric. The Yangwang U9 Xtreme (U9X) hypercar — built by BYD’s sub-brand Yangwang — reached a hair-raising 308.4mph, surpassing the 304.1mph mark set by the former holder, the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+. The record was recorded at the high-speed Automotive Testing Papenburg (ATP) oval circuit in Germany by test pilot Marc Basseng. The Yangwang U9 Xtreme hypercar EV is an enhanced variant of the U9 hypercar currently sold in China. Only 30 U9 Xtremes will be produced worldwide, and they will almost certainly carry a significantly higher price than the standard £200,000 U9. However, the U9X may still cost far less than the €3.5 million Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+. The top-speed run was livestreamed in China, with Yangwang saying the new global speed record “redefines the sustainable hypercar”.
The U9 Xtreme is the planet’s first series-produced 1200V ultra-high-voltage architecture; it features an optimized thermal management arrangement and a redesigned cooling system to support the 133 per cent increase in total power output. The four motors each deliver 555kW and together produce 2958.96bhp. The U9 Xtreme employs BYD’s Blade Battery — the pack that made BYD renowned and a trailblazer among EV manufacturers. Launched in November 2022, Yangwang is BYD’s flagship premium new-energy vehicle (NEV) marque and is marketed by Shenzhen Yangwang Auto Sales Company.
Marc Basseng, who has an extensive background in sports-car racing and endurance motorsport, said:
“This record was only achievable because the U9 Xtreme simply has incredible performance. Technically, something like this is not possible with a combustion engine. Thanks to the electric motor, the car is quiet, there are no load changes, and that lets me concentrate even more on the track.”
Yangwang stated that the U9X track record establishes a “modern milestone in engineering” and a “new benchmark in electric mobility, blending unrivalled power and speed with zero emissions”.
It’s important to note that the fastest production car record is calculated from the average of runs in both directions, and the U9 Xtreme only hit its 308-plus speed one way. But as Bugatti’s previous record was also achieved in a single direction, the U9X’s feat is no less significant, putting the two cars on equal footing. Last year Basseng managed a personal best of 233mph in the standard U9, before becoming one of very few drivers to crack the 300mph club in the Xtreme variant earlier this month. Whether the U9X and Basseng’s time can be eclipsed by another model from this new generation of electric hypercars remains to be seen, but for now it can be crowned “the fastest car on the planet”.
See also: Breakthrough in EV Battery Recycling and Solid-State Technology
Sustainability advocate with a keen eye on policies, trends, and real-world EV impact.
Leave a Reply