THE YANGWANG U9 TRACK EDITION BECOMES THE FASTEST ELECTRIC PRODUCTION CAR IN THE WORLD WITH A 472.41 KM/H TOP SPEED!
In a feat that has sent shockwaves through the global automotive industry, YANGWANG, BYD’s flagship performance brand, has shattered the world electric vehicle (EV) top-speed record. The YANGWANG U9 Track Edition thundered down the high-speed oval at Germany’s ATP Papenburg test track to an officially verified 472.41 km/h, obliterating the previous record of 431.45 km/h set by the Rimac Nevera R. This makes the U9 Track Edition not only the fastest electric production car ever built - but also one of the fastest production cars in history, regardless of powertrain. Industry critics had questioned BYD’s bold claims when the U9 Track Edition was unveiled earlier this year, dismissing its 3,000+ hp output and bleeding-edge tech as a marketing gimmick. Today, those doubts are silenced, and then some.
Built on the advanced e4 Platform, the U9 Track Edition employs four independent 30,000 rpm motors - each delivering 555 kW - for mind-bending torque vectoring and a staggering power-to-weight ratio of 1,217 hp per ton - an F1 car is estimated at 1,297 hp per ton. The result is relentless acceleration that carries deep into triple-digit speeds, with the stability to match. At nearly 500 km/h, speed is only half the battle. Stability, grip, and driver confidence determine whether records are broken or disasters unfold. Intelligent systems help keep the car under control, like the e4 Platform Control that constantly recalibrates torque at each wheel more than 100 times per second, ensuring no slip, no twitch - just planted control. Also, the DiSus-X Intelligent Body Control that reads road conditions in real time, counteracting pitch and roll, and actively pressing tyres into the asphalt for maximum contact.
And then there’s the tyres. Thanks to a Giti Tyre partnership, the U9 wears custom semi-slicks that were developed exclusively for the U9’s record attempt. With reinforced compounds, a bespoke tread, and innovative knurling tech to lock the tyres to the rims under brutal forces, they proved capable of withstanding speeds where traditional rubber simply melts.
As Marc Basseng, the German professional driver who piloted the U9 to glory, put it:
"Last year, I thought I’d reached my peak when we broke the record. Today, this car rewrote what I thought was physically possible. At those speeds, you normally fight the car. The U9? It felt like it was inviting me to go faster."
The Rimac Nevera R’s 431.45 km/h record, set in 2024, was considered untouchable. Today, YANGWANG has raised the bar by an astonishing 41 km/h - a margin that in the world of top-speed battles is nothing short of seismic. Few doubt Rimac and other hyper-EV makers will respond, but the message is clear: BYD and YANGWANG are no longer just contenders. They’re pace-setters. The YANGWANG U9 Track Edition isn’t a one-off laboratory project. It’s based on the production U9, with only track-optimised refinements like the aero-enhanced carbon-fibre splitter and the semi-slick tyres. The record proves BYD’s vision: that electrification and sustainability need not come at the cost of raw, uncompromising performance. With this record-setting run, the YANGWANG U9 Track Edition has redefined the limits of what’s possible in a production EV - and announced, with authority, that the future of performance belongs to electricity. That’s how you announce to the world that BYD just gapped Rimac.
Take a look at the YouTube video that shows the onboard footage of the completely bonkers YANGWANG U9 Track Edition snatching the title of the world's fastest production EV with a blistering run closing in on 480 km/h: YANGWANG U9 Breaks Global EV Top Speed Record | BYD Company
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