BYD’s luxury brand Yangwang has broken its own speed record in Abu Dhabi, smashing the previous 308.4 mph set by the U9 Xtreme in September 2025.
The U9 Xtreme was back in action with Marc Basseng once again behind the wheel, where it hit a blistering 312.6mph on Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed International Road. The 2,978bhp U9 Xtreme — heavily modified compared to the standard U9 — is now the owner of two Guinness World Records: Highest Speed achieved by a Production Car in a single-direction run, and Highest Speed achieved by an Electric Production Car in a single-direction run, with the speed also recognised by the world motorsport governing body, the FIA.
The record-breaking feat is the result of years of development and improvement from Yangwang, which has produced rapid speeds with iterations of its U9 in recent times on the path to the 312.6mph achieved in Abu Dhabi.
The regular 1,269bhp U9 hypercar set its first benchmark back in January 2024, reaching 192mph at Wuhan Hannan Airport in China, and by October the same year it reached 243.5mph at the ATP Papenburg proving ground in Germany. The 2,977bhp U9X then made its first appearance at Papenburg, where it reached a top speed of 293.54mph, before returning a month later to set a new world production-car speed record of 308.33mph.
How the record speed run unfolded
In Abu Dhabi, Yangwang were helped by local authorities in its record-breaking speed attempt, who closed 10km of road for two days, with the longest straight available for top-speed runs being seven kilometres long. The first day saw two runs attempted, where a top speed of 304mph was reached. Engineers then worked overnight to ensure battery and motor temperatures were ideal for the beginning of the following day, while also adjusting the U9X’s rear-wing angle to increase rear-axle downforce, as well as reprofiling the suspension software.
The brand has also worked with Giti Tire to develop a track-focused semi-slick tyre to aid its effort in breaking speed records. The high-performance tyre features optimised compound materials and a bespoke tread design to minimise slippage, torque loss, and wear at extreme speeds and in corners. Ahead of the second day of runs, the tyre pressures were fine-tuned for even better high-speed stability.
The second day allowed for a first attempt to check and confirm that gains had been made in suspension, aerodynamics and tyre performance, before the 312.6mph speed was achieved on attempt number two. The feat is another feather in Yangwang’s cap and builds on the U9X's existing record time (6m 59.157s) around the Nordschleife in Germany, a lap record for production electric vehicles.
How many Yangwang U9X will be produced?
The first production standard U9X, named 'Dawn Moment', was unveiled at this year's Beijing Auto Show and is part of a limited run of just 30 units being produced worldwide. Some customers have already specced their models and are moving into the final stages of securing ownership.
words: Mike Booth
pictures: BYD UK