BYD’s Yangwang U9 Xtreme reached 503.17 km/h, roughly 312 mph, on Nov. 1 on a closed section of Abu Dhabi’s E11 highway. The FIA announced on Nov. 6 that it recognised the run as the first by a production car above 500 km/h, beating the same car’s 496.22 km/h mark from September 2025.
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German driver Marc Basseng was at the wheel, as he was for the earlier record at ATP Papenburg in Germany. The FIA describes him as a German sports-car and endurance racer. Four electric motors deliver 2,977 horsepower from a 1,200-volt lithium iron phosphate battery that can discharge at 30C.
A 10 km closed road in Al Dhafra with a 7 km straight
The FIA’s account of the run places it on Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed International Road, the E11, in the Al Dhafra Region of Abu Dhabi. Authorities closed a 10 km section that included a 7 km straight. At 503 km/h a car covers 7 km in about 50 seconds, which leaves little room for error and explains why the stretch was shut to other traffic. At the earlier mark of 496.22 km/h the same 7 km would take about 51 seconds, so the new run saves under a second across the straight. The speed equals about 139.8 meters per second, more than the length of a football pitch every second.
The gain over the previous mark is 6.95 km/h, or about 4.3 mph, since 312.6 mph replaces 308.3 mph. InsideEVs adds that two warm-up runs on Oct. 31 topped out at 490 km/h, or 304.4 mph, before the record attempt the next day. For perspective, 500 km/h equals about 310.7 mph, and the run cleared that line by 3.17 km/h. InsideEVs summarizes the result as a Chinese supercar hitting 312 mph.
A single run in one direction and what rivals may say
InsideEVs flags a caveat in its report on the record. BYD made one run in one direction. Speed records are usually set by averaging two runs in opposite directions to cancel out wind and elevation, so the reporter expects makers such as Rimac, Bugatti and Koenigsegg to raise an eyebrow at the result. The FIA release calls the speed officially recognised and does not discuss the averaging question. A two-way average would land below the single-direction peak whenever wind or gradient helped the run, which is why rivals will scrutinize the method.
Background on earlier records helps frame the claim, though it does not come from the FIA or InsideEVs reports. Bugatti’s Chiron Super Sport 300+ reached about 304.8 mph in a single run in 2019, and Koenigsegg’s Agera RS set a two-way average of about 277.9 mph in 2017. Records measured in different ways are not directly comparable, which is why the single-direction detail matters. The outcome follows a stated ambition. InsideEVs earlier wrote that BYD wanted to break the 500 km/h barrier, and the earlier mark was covered in its report on the 496.22 km/h run. Basseng drove both. The earlier run was in September 2025, so the new mark arrives about 14 months later. Because the same driver and car were involved, differences are less likely to come from technique, although road surface, temperature and wind are variables the public material does not detail. The venue also changed from a German test track to a closed public highway in the UAE, so the 6.95 km/h gain mixes car improvements with location effects.
Four motors, 1,200 volts and the road-going U9
The Xtreme is the track-focused version of a car that BYD sells under Yangwang, its luxury electric brand, and a record at this level works as a showcase for the company’s battery and motor engineering, which is the argument its stated 500 km/h goal supports. The figures quoted for the record car, 2,977 horsepower and a 30C discharge rate from a 1,200-volt pack, describe a powertrain far beyond a normal road car. A 30C rating means the pack can discharge at thirty times its capacity per hour, and 2,977 horsepower converts to roughly 2,220 kW. InsideEVs’ earlier review of the standard U9 covers the road-going car for readers who want that comparison.
Two things would settle the argument: a published two-way average and an independent timing report. Several details remain thin. The FIA article names Basseng as the only individual and carries no official quote, and it does not publish timing method or tire details. The release is dated Nov. 6, five days after the run, and InsideEVs covered it the same day. Whether a rival sets out to beat 503.17 km/h with a two-way average, the standard that critics point to, is the question that will decide how long this mark of 312 mph stands.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.
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