On a closed section of the Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed International Road (E11) in the Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi, the Chinese electric hypercar Yangwang U9 Xtreme from the BYD brand reached 503,17 km/h.
At the wheel was German racing driver Marc Basseng. The run took place on 1 November 2026 after two days of preparation: the emirate's authorities closed about 10 km of road, of which 7 km were used for acceleration.
This is the first production car to officially break the 500 km/h mark. The previous result for the same model — 496,22 km/h — was set in September 2025 at the ATP Papenburg test track in Germany.
The achievement was confirmed by the International Automobile Federation (FIA). The Yangwang U9 Xtreme received two Guinness World Records titles: as a production car and as the fastest production electric car in a single-direction run.
The car is equipped with four electric motors with a combined output of about 3000 hp on a 1200 V platform. Unlike previous tests at closed test tracks, this one took place in the real conditions of a desert road.
Engineers made adjustments to the aerodynamics, suspension and tire pressure between runs. At a speed of 503 km/h, the car covers almost 140 meters per second.
Can one imagine that a production electric car will someday become an ordinary participant in such tests on ordinary roads?
The record underscores BYD's ambitions in the high-performance electric vehicle segment and Abu Dhabi's interest in such projects, which require coordination between authorities and infrastructure.
