BYD marked its speed record with a public celebration in Abu Dhabi. The company’s YANGWANG U9 Xtreme led a 110-car convoy from West Park to Emirates Palace, bringing together owners, enthusiasts and senior BYD executives.
The parade followed the U9 Xtreme’s record-setting run on a closed section of the Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Road (E11) in the Al Dhafra Region. The electric hypercar reached 503.17 km/h, becoming the first production car to exceed 500 km/h in a single-direction run.
German racing driver Marc Basseng drove the U9 Xtreme during the official attempt on November 1. Authorities closed a 10 km stretch of E11, providing a 7 km straight for the high-speed run.
Basseng initially reached 490 km/h. BYD’s team then revised the rear wing, suspension settings and tyre pressures overnight. On the second attempt, the hypercar recorded 503.17 km/h, equivalent to about 312.66 mph.
The result improved on BYD’s previous mark of 496.22 km/h, set at Germany’s ATP Papenburg test track in September 2025. The Abu Dhabi run also surpassed the 500 km/h threshold that had long remained beyond the reach of production cars.
The U9 Xtreme uses four independent electric motors, each producing 555 kW. Together, they deliver more than 3,000 PS and enable a top speed beyond 500 km/h.
BYD equipped the hypercar with a 1,200-volt electrical architecture and a track-focused version of its Blade Battery. The company also developed specialised tyres with Giti Tire to withstand the extreme loads generated at record speeds.
The 110-car convoy allowed BYD to showcase the record car beyond the test environment. The U9 Xtreme’s 503.17 km/h run marks a new benchmark for production electric vehicles. Leading the 110-car convoy gave attendees an opportunity to see the record-setting hypercar outside the test environment.
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