Yangwang U9 Xtreme Hits 503 km/h In Abu Dhabi: Becomes World’s Fastest Production Car

The Yangwang U9 Xtreme is now the fastest production car on the planet. On 01 November 2026, the all-electric hypercar hit 503.17 km/h on a closed stretch of Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed International Road (E11), making it the first production car ever to officially cross the 500km/h mark. The FIA has recognised the speed, and the run also earned the car two Guinness World Records.

And it happened right here in the UAE, on a highway that carries everyday traffic in the Al Dhafra Region. Yangwang announced the record on 06 November, the same day as its Celebration of Speed event in Downtown Dubai, where Yangwang is celebrating the achievement, and the U9 was showcased in the UAE.

How The Yangwang U9 Xtreme Set The 503 km/h Record

German racing driver Marc Basseng was behind the wheel, the same driver who took the U9 Xtreme to 496.22 km/h at Germany’s ATP Papenburg proving ground in September 2025. This time, though, there was no purpose-built test track.

Local authorities closed a 10km section of the E11, including a 7 km straight used for the high-speed runs. Because it’s a working highway close to the desert, crews swept and checked the surface metre by metre, to clear sand and tiny metal fragments that could damage the tyres at that speed. At 503km/h the car covers almost 140 metres every second, so the whole straight is done in under a minute.

It wasn’t a first-time success either. The attempt ran over two days:

• 31 October: Two runs, with a best of 490 km/h.
• Overnight: Engineers adjusted the aerodynamics, suspension settings and tyre pressures. According to reports, the changes included more rear wing angle for added downforce, firmer rebound damping for the road’s undulations, and a new way of bringing the battery and motors up to temperature before each run.
• 1 November: Two more runs, and the second one stopped the clock at 503.17 km/h.

That’s 6.95 km/h more than the car’s own previous best, and enough to take it past the magic 500 km/h mark for the first time. By the looks of the videos posted, it did seem like the car had more to give, but we have to assume the straight ran out.

The Records Behind The Headline

Here’s what the U9 Xtreme now holds:

• FIA recognition for the 503.17 km/h top speed.
• Guinness World Record for the highest speed achieved by a production car in a single-direction run.
• Guinness World Record for the highest speed achieved by an electric production car in a single-direction run.

According to reports, the car’s Giti tyres picked up two more Guinness titles of their own, bringing the total from the run to four.

Like the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+’s 490.48 km/h run in 2019, the U9’s record was set in a single direction, and it now sits almost 13 km/h clear of the Bugatti.

Yangwang U9 Xtreme Specs

The U9 Xtreme is the extreme version of the Yangwang U9 electric supercar, and its numbers are wild even by hypercar standards.

Here are the top things to know about the U9. Its Nürburgring lap of 6:59.157 is also a record for an electric production car.

From 309km/h To 503 km/h In Under Three Years

Yangwang has been chipping away at this for a while, from the 472 km/h record in 2025 to today, and each step has been a big one:

That’s nearly 200km/h added in less than three years. If you want to see how it compares with the rest of the electric pack, our list of the top 10 fastest EVs in the world is a good place to start.

Top 5 Fastest Cars In The World

Here’s how the U9 Xtreme’s 503.17 km/h compares with the fastest cars ever recorded.

The highest recorded speeds for the Bugatti, SSC and Koenigsegg are according to reports. For years, Bugatti’s 490.48 km/h looked untouchable. The U9 Xtreme has now beaten it by almost 13 km/h, and it did it with electric motors.

Top 5 Fastest Electric Cars In The World

Among EVs, the gap is even bigger.

The Aspark Owl SP600, the next fastest electric car on the list, holds a Guinness World Records title for its 438.73 km/h run at ATP Papenburg in 2024, yet it’s a prototype and still more than 64km/h behind. Against the Rimac Nevera R, whose 431.45km/h run came in July 2025 according to reports, the gap grows to almost 72km/h. Even Yangwang’s own standard U9 trails its Xtreme sibling by more than 111 km/h.

Why The Record Matters To The UAE

For a long time, the big top-speed records happened on German test tracks or closed Nevada highways. Now, the biggest yet has been set on a UAE road, with the cooperation of Abu Dhabi’s authorities. That says a lot about how the region is seen by carmakers, and about BYD’s plans here in particular.

Yangwang is sold in the UAE through Al-Futtaim Electric Mobility. The Yangwang U8 launched in the UAE in September 2025 and is priced at AED 659,900 in Arabian Edition form. You can see the range at the BYD, Denza and Yangwang showroom on Sheikh Zayed Road. The Dubai Police has since added the U8 to its patrol fleet. The brand also chose the UAE for the world debut of its first flagship sedan, the Yangwang Altior, which happens on 07 November in Abu Dhabi.

The U9 will be showcased in the UAE at Yangwang’s Celebration of Speed event in Dubai on 06 November, and pre-bookings are expected to open soon. It doesn’t have an official UAE price yet, and with only 30 Xtreme cars planned worldwide, few people will ever own one. Still, a world record on home roads is about as strong an introduction as a car can get.

What’s Next For Yangwang In The UAE

It’s a busy week for the brand. Yangwang marks the record at its Celebration of Speed on 06 November. The Altior’s global debut follows on 07 November, and the BYD World Experience on 08 November will put Yangwang, Denza and BYD models on track and in the desert. It will also host the regional debut of BYD’s Flash Charging technology.

Whatever car you’re thinking of, find it on Dubi with over 25,000 listings.

Stay tuned to the UAE’s most popular auto blog for more automotive content.

FAQs