A Chinese hypercar has been crowned the world's fastest production car. The Yangwang U9 Xtreme, built by BYD's luxury division, can reach speeds of over 300mph and is priced at £2million.
Record-breaking performance
The fully electric hypercar is powered by a quad-motor powertrain delivering nearly 3,000hp to all four wheels. It accelerates from 0-62mph in just over two seconds and reaches 100mph in 3.8 seconds. The top speed is claimed to be 308mph.
Yangwang's iconic car is equipped with an 80kWh Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) Blade Battery, offering a range of up to 280 miles in real-world conditions. A 1,200V architecture supports 500kW peak DC fast-charging, allowing the battery to go from 30% to 80% charge in around 10 minutes.
Track achievements
The U9 Xtreme set a speed record at Germany's Automotive Testing Papenburg circuit. BYD Executive Vice President Stella Li said: “This is an incredibly proud moment for everyone in the research and development division. Yangwang is a brand that does not recognise the impossible, and only through this commitment to what’s coming next can you end up with a vehicle like the U9X.”
The car also lapped the Nürburgring Nordschleife in under seven minutes – exactly 6:59.157 over the 12.94-mile circuit – making it the fastest production EV around the track, beating the previous record by five seconds.
Limited edition
Only 30 units of the Yangwang U9 Xtreme will be built globally. The model was sold for just over £2million ($2.7million USD) at the 2026 Beijing Auto Show. British enthusiasts saw the car earlier this month at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Yangwang says the U9 Xtreme was built to “redefine the limits of supercars”.
