A six-mile stretch of public highway in Abu Dhabi was shut to traffic for two days, swept of sand and debris, and handed to a German racing driver and a four-motor electric car from China. On Nov. 1, Marc Basseng pushed BYD’s Yangwang U9 Xtreme to 503.17 km/h, or 312.65 mph, the first time a production car has passed 500 km/h.
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BYD announced the figure in the days that followed, calling the U9 Xtreme “the fastest production car on the planet.” The claim comes with fine print about how the run was measured.
Two days on the E11 in Abu Dhabi
Electrek reports that Abu Dhabi closed a 10 km section of the Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed International Road, known as the E11, in the Al Dhafra Region, with about 7 km usable as a straight. Electrek’s account of the attempt says it took two days. On day one Basseng reached 490 km/h, and overnight the team changed the rear wing, the damping and the tire pressures. The second run on Nov. 1 produced the record. The Truth About Cars adds that earlier passes reached 304.4 mph before the changes, and that its figure comes from a single-direction run.
Basseng is the same driver who set the car’s earlier mark of 496.22 km/h, about 308 mph, at the ATP Papenburg test oval in Germany in September 2025. The Truth About Cars notes that the Abu Dhabi number is roughly 7 km/h above it.
312.65 mph, and what the sanctioning bodies recognized
The FIA and Guinness World Records both recognized the run, according to Electrek. The FIA announcement lists two Guinness records, highest speed by a production car and highest speed by an electric production car, each specified as single direction. BYD’s own post claims four Guinness records. The Truth About Cars cautions that the Guinness and FIA recognition is the company’s statement and that it could not independently confirm it.
Reports disagree on direction. The Autopian says the record run was made in both directions within one hour, as Guinness requires, and that this is why the earlier 496 km/h run did not qualify. Electrek and The Truth About Cars describe the run as one-way, and Electrek notes that production-car records have traditionally averaged two passes in opposite directions to cancel wind and road grade. Bugatti drew the same criticism in 2019 over a one-way 490 km/h run and said then that its figure was not an official record. The Truth About Cars adds that the Petersen Automotive Museum, which demands independent verification, would not rank a one-way pass.
Printed speeds differ by a hundredth of a mile an hour between outlets. Electrek and The Autopian write 312.66 mph where Motor Trend and The Truth About Cars write 312.65, a rounding difference on the same 503.17 km/h. AutoEvolution prints 312.65 mph and 503.17 km/h together in its report of the run.
2,978 horsepower from four motors, and 30 cars
Motor Trend puts the quad-motor Yangwang at 2,978 horsepower and says 30 cars are planned in this Xtreme specification. Electrek lists each of the four motors at 555 kW and up to 30,000 rpm, for 2,220 kW combined, on a 1,200-volt architecture with a track-grade version of BYD’s LFP Blade battery. The tires are bespoke semi-slicks developed with Giti Tire, and Electrek says it is unclear whether the 30 customer cars will get the same rubber.
The Autopian reports the 30 cars are allocated to Chinese customers and that the car is street legal and homologated in China, and a price has not been confirmed by Yangwang. Electrek cites around $3 million each, while the Autopian relays industry estimates of $400,000 to $700,000. The two outlets cannot both be right, and BYD has not settled it. Electrek also notes the car is not sold in the U.S.
Tires were the obvious weak point. The Autopian says the Giti semi-slicks were specially developed, that the rims were treated with a high-viscosity product so the wheels do not spin inside the tires, and recalls James May’s remark that a Bugatti Veyron’s tires would last about fifteen minutes at top speed. Electrek adds that the U9 Xtreme holds the production EV lap record at the Nurburgring Nordschleife at 6:59.157, a claim that comes from the same company.
The preparation was not smooth. BYD released footage of an Xtreme striking a guardrail at about 280 mph in an earlier test, with the driver unharmed, and its next run reached 457.89 km/h. The Autopian’s version puts the crash speed at a reported 360 km/h, with the passenger cell intact, the driver climbing out unaided and no fire, though it notes Car News China reports the rear axle was torn out. The two outlets give different speeds for the incident, and BYD’s footage is the only primary evidence of it.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.
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