It’s been six years since the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ set the world record for the fastest production car, which saw it hit a face-melting 304.77 mph. Well, a new vehicle has finally succeeded in besting that record in the form of the all-electric YangWang U9 Xtreme.
Created by BYD’s luxury sub-brand, the electric vehicle just hit a one-way top speed of 308.33 mph in the high-speed oval of the Automotive Testing Papenburg (ATP) in Germany. That doesn’t just make it the fastest production car in the world, it’s also the first ever production EV to go past the 300 mph mark, making it quite the massive achievement in electric vehicle technology.
The YangWang U9 Xtreme managed to hit those speeds by way of a 1,200-volt quad-motor setup that vows to deliver better performance and efficiency, while effecting some amount of weight reduction. Combined with the outfit’s lithium-iron-phosphate Blade Battery, it puts out a whopping 2,977 horsepower, all while posting a staggering power-to-weight ratio of 1,217 ps per ton. The battery, by the way, is track-spec, coming with a dual-layer cooling design that, the outfit claims, is engineered for 30C discharge rates to keep temperatures in check during the most demanding runs. This ensures consistent power output and enhanced safety, while delivering peak performance in extreme conditions.
It boasts advanced torque vectoring that, the outfit claims, allows it to make over 100 adjustments per second, sending different amounts of power to each wheel independently to ensure maximum grip and precision at every part of the drive. The vehicle also gets an adaptive suspension system that’s been specifically tuned to cope with the elevated stresses of circuit driving, along with 20-inch dual five-spoke wheels, GitiSport e·GTR2 Pro semi-slick tires, and upgraded carbon ceramic rotor brakes with titanium calipers to give it serious stopping power, along with a variety of advanced components aimed at ensuring stability and reliable performance when driving at high speeds.
The YangWang U9 Xtreme was driven by German track specialist Marc Basseng for the record-breaking run. According to the driver, the car’s quiet operation and the lack of load changes made it easier to focus on the track, remarking how the all-electric powertrain came in clutch to help achieve the record-setting run. Seriously, it’s downright impressive that modern EVs have evolved this far and we’re not even close to really transitioning out of combustion engines like many expected just a few years ago.
Do note, this particular successful run was only done in one direction. This is important, since official fastest production car records have historically been runs in both directions. However, this is probably more of a publicity stunt than an actual run for an official record, which is, pretty much, what Bugatti also did when they set that 304.77 mph record in 2019. Still, that 308.33 mph is a real achievement and positions YangWang, along with parent company BYD, as the cutting-edge leaders in EV technology.
Only 30 examples of the YangWang U9 Xtreme is scheduled to be made. No pricing has been announced, but you can bet it will be along the typical hypercar price range.
