Yangwang U9 Xtreme sets new world record

The Yangwang U9 Xtreme has done the almost unthinkable. It has become the first production car to surpass the 500 km/h threshold. It achieved a top speed of 503,17 km/h during a high-speed run on 1 November. As a reminder the U9 Xtreme produces over 2 200 kW of power from four electric motors. Just 30 will be made.

Follow Double Apex on Facebook and *Instagram**, where we share more car content.*

Rewriting the records

The Yangwang U9 Xtreme set a record for highest top speed when it achieved a top speed of 496 km/h at a test facility in Germany. At the time the driver if the car admitted that he didn’t realise he was so close to the magical 500 km/h-mark. But he was fast running out of road.

The most recent high-speed attempt took place on Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed International Road (E11), in Abu Dhabi’s Al Dhafra Region, with German racing driver Marc Basseng behind the wheel. Authorities closed a 10 km section of road, including a seven-kilometre straight used for the high-speed runs.

The very same car has been building up to this high watermark over many years. The original U9 reached 309 km/h during testing in China in January 2024, before achieving 391,94 km/h at ATP Papenburg in October of the same year. The U9 Xtreme subsequently reached 472,41 km/h in August 2025, followed by 496,22 km/h one month later.

In his own words

The U9X’s record-breaking driver Marc Basseng said: “This time, we took on an entirely different challenge — pushing the limits of speed on a public road in Abu Dhabi. Unlike a dedicated test track, a public road presents a different set of challenges, making precision, stability and confidence in the vehicle more important than ever.

“Breaking a world record once is extraordinary but doing it again in such a different environment is truly special. At these extreme speeds every detail matters, and none of this would have been possible without the incredible Yangwang engineering team. I am proud to be part of this journey and to demonstrate just how far electric vehicle technology can go.”

You can watch this historic feat in the video below: