Last year, the Yangwang U9 set a top speed record of 496.22 km/h (309.34 mph) in Germany at the Automotive Testing facility in Papenburg. The figures aren’t dropping in Abu Dhabi either, as the U9 Xtreme hypercar breaks the record, reaching a top speed of 503.17 km/h.
The car achieved that milestone in a one-way run along Abu Dhabi’s E11 highway and was being driven by German racing driver Marc Basseng, who was also behind the wheel of the same car when it achieved the previous record of 496.22 km/h (308.34 mph).
The FIA has confirmed the achievement through its official website, and the U9 Xtreme has also secured two Guinness World Records for the highest speed achieved by a production car in a single-direction run.
Authorities in Abu Dhabi closed a 10-kilometer section of the E11 highway that included a seven-kilometer straight section, which would favour high-speed runs.
To achieve the record-breaking speeds, they attempted it over two days and carried out about two runs on October 31, producing a maximum speed of 490 km/h (404.5 mph). The results pushed engineers to work overnight to improve several parts of the vehicle.
They worked on optimizing the vehicle’s battery and motor temperature. The other thing they worked on was the rear wing, which they adjusted in a way that would allow it to generate more downforce on the rear axle. They reworked the suspension software, increasing rebound damping, and fine-tuned tire pressure.
The U9 Xtreme is more powerful than the regular Yangwang U9. This model uses four independently controlled electric motors, with each producing up to 745 horsepower to give a combined output of 2,977 hp, which is more than the standard model.
The semi-slick rubber tires were developed by Giti with Yangwang, and their prototype reached 311 mph in indoor testing in June 2025. The tire is capable of withstanding the extraordinary forces generated during extreme-speed acceleration, and the surface between the tire and the rim is textured to minimize tire slippage.
