The Yangwang U9 Xtreme electric supercar has becomes the first production car to exceed 500 km/h.

BYD, the parent company of luxury car maker Yangwang, announced the record-setting speed of 503.17 km/h on Nov. 11.

The record run occurred on Nov. 1, the company said.

The U9 Xtreme now holds two Guinness World Records, one for being the fastest production car and another for being the fastest electric car.

The U9 Xtreme was already the world’s fastest car after it set a record speed of 496.22 km/h in 2025.

Clearly, the Chinese electric supercar had more speed to go and the automaker utilized a longer runway to set the record pace.

Last year’s record was set at Germany’s ATP Automotive Testing Papenburg test track.

This time, the record was achieved on Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed International Road (E11) in Abu Dhabi’s Al Dhafra Region.

German race car driver Marc Basseng, who set the previous record, was behind the wheel again to top himself.

“This time, we took on an entirely different challenge – pushing the limits of speed on a public road in Abu Dhabi. Unlike a dedicated test track, a public road presents a different set of challenges, making precision, stability and confidence in the vehicle more important than ever,” Basseng said in a news release.

“Breaking a world record once is extraordinary but doing it again in such a different environment is truly special. At these extreme speeds every detail matters, and none of this would have been possible without the incredible Yangwang engineering team. I am proud to be part of this journey and to demonstrate just how far electric vehicle technology can go.”

About the car

The Yangwang U9 Xtreme is an all-electric car with a quad-motor powertrain that produces 3,019 PS (2,977 hp).

The car’s e4 Platform has a quad-motor independent torque-vectoring system that constantly monitors road feedback and adjusts each wheel’s torque at a frequency that exceeds 100 times per second. Even at high speeds, it maintains absolute control over body posture, ensuring no wheel slip or loss of traction, the company said.

Most EVs utilize 400V or 800V architectures but the U9 Xtreme rides on a 1,200V ultra-high-speed platform, the first production car to do so. The platform supports operation at a higher current, which supports improved efficiency and thermal management, the company said.

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