Yangwang U9 Xtreme Hits 503 km/h on Abu Dhabi's E11, a First for a Production Car
7 Nov 2026 · hi · 2 min
BYD's Yangwang U9 Xtreme has become the first production car to go faster than 500 km/h, and it did it on a road many UAE drivers know: the Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed International Road, the E11, in Abu Dhabi's Al Dhafra region.
German racing driver Marc Basseng reached 503.17 km/h on 1 November 2026. Guinness World Records verified the run, which gives the U9 Xtreme two titles: the highest speed by a production car and the highest speed by an electric production car, both for a single-direction run. The FIA, motorsport's governing body, has also recognised the speed.
The team ran over two days on a 10 km stretch of the E11 closed with the help of Abu Dhabi's authorities, using about 7 km of it for each attempt. Two runs on 31 October topped out at 490 km/h. Engineers then adjusted the aerodynamics, suspension and tyre pressures, and the fourth run, on 1 November, cleared 500 km/h. For context, the normal speed limit on that road is 160 km/h.
A record that keeps moving
The U9 has been chasing this number for almost three years. It ran 309 km/h at Wuhan's Hannan Airport in January 2024, then 391.94 km/h, 472.41 km/h and 496.22 km/h at the ATP Papenburg test track in Germany. The 496.22 km/h run in September 2025 took the production car top speed record from the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+, which had done 490.48 km/h.
The car behind it is extreme. Four electric motors, each spinning to 30,000 rpm, give a combined 3,019 PS. BYD built it on a 1,200-volt electrical system and uses its own LFP Blade Battery. Giti developed a semi-slick tyre specifically to survive the forces above 500 km/h. Only 30 U9 Xtremes will be built.
Stella Li, Executive Vice President of BYD, said the result "moves the benchmark for pure electric power even further ahead".
Yangwang, BYD's luxury brand, arrived in the UAE in 2025. BYD hasn't said whether any of the 30 cars are coming here, or what they cost.
The basics
- Yangwang U9 Xtreme, BYD's electric hypercar
- 503.17 km/h, the first production car past 500 km/h
- Set on 1 November 2026 on the E11 in Al Dhafra, Abu Dhabi
- Driver: Marc Basseng
- Verified by Guinness World Records and recognised by the FIA
- Four motors, 3,019 PS, 1,200-volt system
- 30 cars worldwide
Source: BYD, via BYD Media and The National
Category: News
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