BYD’s luxury sub-brand Yangwang has unveiled on Saturday a new track-focused version of its U9 supercar that has set a new global speed record.
The Yangwang U9 Xtreme, introduced during a livestream event, achieved an officially certified top speed of 496.22 kilometers per hour, equivalent to 308.4 mph.
The new record was achieved at Germany’s ATP Automotive Testing Papenburg track, surpassing the previous record of 472.41 km/h that the brand set last month.
The Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+, a limited-edition hypercar with only 30 units built, became the first production car to break the 300 mph barrier.
It set a record speed of 304.773 mph (490.484 km/h) in August 2019 with test driver Andy Wallace.
On social media, BYD described the model as “Beyond extreme, born to explore the absolute boundary of speed.”
The car delivers 2,978 brake horsepower from four electric motors, about 130% more than the 1,288bhp of the standard version.
It is also the first production vehicle to feature a 1,200-volt ultra high-voltage platform, compared with the 800-volt system used in the existing U9.
The model, which reached over 472km/h in early August, features the e4 quad-motor system and the DiSus-X chassis control technology, and incorporates the world’s first mass-produced 1200V ultra-high-voltage platform.
Each motor delivers up to 555 kW, giving the supercar a combined output of more than 3,000 PS and a power-to-weight ratio of 1,217 PS per tonne.
The two-seat model, priced at 1.68 million yuan ($235,000), is equipped with four 240 kW electric motors producing a combined output of 960 kW (1,287 hp).
