496 km/h: the BYD Yangwang U9 Xtreme dethrones Bugatti (video)
This page is translated from the original post "496 km/h : la BYD Yangwang U9 Xtreme détrône Bugatti (vidéo)" in French.
- 20/09/2025 18:22
With its 3000 electric horsepower, the YANGWANG U9 Xtreme from BYD has set a new world speed record for a production car.
This is a silent revolution. The YANGWANG U9 Xtreme, a technological showcase of BYD, recorded a new world record on the Papenburg test track in Germany: 496.22 km/h. Not only does the electric hypercar surpass its own previous record for a zero-emission model, but it also outclasses the fastest internal combustion engines.
With this time, it dethrones the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ (490.484 km/h) and even surpasses the aspirations of the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut or Rimac Nevera.
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The End of a Reign: Electric at the Top
Never has an electric car reached such a speed. Until now, the world records belonged to internal combustion engines, keepers of a tradition of raw power. On September 14, YANGWANG shattered this paradigm: the Chinese hypercar is the new benchmark for absolute performance. The event transcends a technical achievement; it symbolically marks the transfer of power between gasoline and electrons.
The base model, the U9, is already sold in China. But to cross the crucial threshold of 490 km/h, engineers transformed the Track/Special Edition version into U9 Xtreme – or U9X for short. Under the bodywork, the upgrades are radical:
• an electrical architecture boosted to 1200V (up from 800V previously), • a Blade Battery LFP with a record discharge rate of 30C, • four motors capable of revving up to 30,000 rpm, for a combined power exceeding 3000 hp, • semi-slick tires worthy of a racing prototype, • and a recalibrated DiSus-X suspension designed to withstand the titanic stresses of nearly 500 km/h.
A technological arsenal that illustrates BYD’s desire to establish Yangwang as a global showcase brand, and not just a Chinese manufacturer focused on its domestic market.
“The Impossible Does Not Exist” According to BYD
Stella Li, Executive Vice President of BYD, did not hide her pride: “YANGWANG is a brand that knows no impossible. It is thanks to this mindset that we can achieve a vehicle like the U9X. I thank the entire team and driver Marc Basseng for his key role.”
A deserved tribute: German Marc Basseng, a veteran of GT and Endurance races, managed to tame the electric rocket. “This record could not have been beaten by an internal combustion car. Thanks to the electric motors, there is no noise, no load variations, which allowed me to fully focus on the track.,” he said after his historic run.
At the same time, BYD announced that its YANGWANG U9 Xtreme completed a lap of the northern loop of the Nürburgring, the Nordschleife, in 6’59″157. This is an improvement of nearly 18 seconds compared to its previous record.
The U9X will only be produced in 30 units, an exclusivity meant to impress as much as to satisfy a few wealthy collectors. Its price remains unknown.
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