BYD's Yangwang U9 Xtreme hits 503.17km/h on Abu Dhabi's E11
The electric hypercar became the first production car to pass 500km/h, on a closed 10km stretch of the E11 in Al Dhafra. The FIA has recognised the speed and Guinness World Records certified two records.
A road many UAE drivers know has just hosted the fastest run ever made by a production car. The Yangwang U9 Xtreme, the electric hypercar from BYD's luxury brand Yangwang, reached 503.17km/h on Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed International Road, the E11, in Abu Dhabi's Al Dhafra region.
The FIA, motor sport's world governing body, announced the speed on Friday, and Guinness World Records certified two titles from the same run: the fastest production car and the fastest production electric car. It is the first time a production car has gone past 500km/h. The record was set in one direction, as Guinness counts it, rather than as an average of runs both ways.
The attempt was made in co-ordination with the authorities, who closed a 10km stretch of the motorway; about 7km of it was used for the run. German racing driver Marc Basseng made four runs over two days, and BYD's engineers adjusted the car between the first and second day before the record run.
The U9 Xtreme uses four independent electric motors with a combined output of more than 3,000PS, a 1,200-volt electrical system, torque vectoring and special high-performance tyres. It beats the car's own earlier mark of 496.22km/h, set in September 2025 at the ATP Papenburg test track in Germany. This time the record came on a public road rather than a purpose-built track, which Basseng said brings a different set of challenges. BYD executive vice president Stella Li said the result moves the benchmark for electric power further ahead.
For everyone else, the E11 in Al Dhafra keeps its normal limit of 160km/h, one of the highest posted limits on any public road. Going more than 80km/h over a limit in the UAE means a Dh3,000 fine, 23 black points and 60 days with the car impounded. BYD has not announced a UAE price or launch date for the U9 Xtreme; BYD's other models are sold through its UAE showrooms.