This 3,000+ PS quad-motored BYD Yangwang hypercar lapped the Green Hell in a shade under 7 minutes.
While BYD may be a ways away in climbing to the top of the global sales chart, it nevertheless has just conquered an entirely different leaderboard. And it is not one many would have guessed, as its Yangwang U9 Xtreme has recently officially become the new all-electric king of the Nürburgring Nordschleife.
Yes, you read that right. A BYD is now the fastest EV to have ever lapped the Green Hell. Piloted by German professional racer Moritz Kranz, this souped-up version of its already-potent U9 hypercar blitzed around the 21 km circuit on October 10th, in just 6 minutes 59.157 seconds.
For some added context here, that staggering time is a full five seconds quicker than the tailpipe-less production record holder, the Rimac Nevera, set back in 2023. It also incidentally marks the first time a production EV has ever limboed under the seven-minute barrier around the legendary Nordschleife.
What is perhaps even more impressive however is that there is apparently still more pace to be found, with Yangwang executive Hu Xiaoqing stating the team managed just one flying lap amid challenging weather conditions on the day. With more track time and better weather, he believes they could have shaved off even more from that blistering lap.
That said, it is worth noting the U9 Xtreme still has some way to go before claiming the overall Nürburgring crown. ICE still remains supreme for now, with the Mercedes-AMG One still holding the outright record at 6:29.029, followed by the Porsche 911 GT2 RS Manthey (991.2) at 6:43.300.
Then again, don’t put it past BYD to aim higher. This very same U9 Xtreme after all already holds the title of world’s fastest production supercar, having achieved a V-Max of 496.22 km/h, which bested the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ by 5.8 km/h.
Delving a little deeper into the specs of this record-shattering EV, the U9 Xtreme is equipped with four electric motors, each rated at 755 PS, for a combined system output of 3,018 PS. That is to be a little more than double the power of the standard U9, which already boasts a healthy 1,306 PS.
The U9 Xtreme also proudly debuts as the first production EV to utilise a 1,200-volt electrical architecture, paired with significantly denser batteries capable of an ultra-high 30C discharge rate. Other upgrades include uprated dampers with aviation-grade aluminium alloy suspension arms all around, as well as a titanium-alloy carbon-ceramic braking system and custom semi-slick Giti tyres engineered to withstand the immense demands of speeds exceeding 500 km/h.
And yes, since this is still technically a production car, you could actually go out and buy one of these EV kings of the ’Ring. That said, only 30 units are set to be built, and each will almost certainly command a far higher price than the standard U9 — which already retails for the equivalent of RM1 million in its home market of China.
