Yangwang has claimed the electric vehicle lap record at Germany’s Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit. The U9 Xtreme completed the 12.9-mile course in six minutes, 59.157 seconds.
The BYD-owned manufacturer’s achievement marks the first time an electric supercar has broken the seven-minute barrier at the circuit. The previous record was beaten by more than five seconds.
Eleven months of testing led to the record-breaking run.
The Yangwang U9 Xtreme uses the same 1,200-volt platform as the standard U9 hypercar. But this track-focused version packs 2,959 horsepower through its quad-motor setup.
Each motor can spin up to 30,000 rpm.
The Xtreme version includes several upgrades over the regular car. Engineers added a new cooling system and titanium-alloy carbon-ceramic brakes. The car also runs on specially developed semi-slick tires.
Professional Driver Behind the Wheel
Moritz Kranz piloted the record-setting lap. The German racer has more than 60 wins across GT4, GT3, and LMP3 categories.
“The Nürburgring Nordschleife is the most demanding track, and our lap time is a testament to the development skills of BYD and Yangwang,” he said. “Without their intense work to balance a high-powered EV platform with the difficult demands of the chassis set-up, this great lap time would not have been possible.”
The Nurburgring success follows another milestone for the U9 Xtreme. In August, the car hit 308 mph at Germany’s Papenburg testing facility – making it the world’s fastest production car in a straight line.
Stella Li, BYD’s vice president, sees the achievements as proof of the company’s tech-focused approach.
“We are dedicated to pushing the limits of what can be achieved through technology, and the Nürburgring is such a legendary challenge for cars and drivers that it’s only natural for our engineers to pursue their dreams there,” she said. “I congratulate the entire team on this phenomenal achievement.”
She added that the U9 Xtreme has proven itself capable beyond straight-line speed.
“The limited-edition U9 Xtreme has proven that it is not only the world’s fastest car in a straight line, but also a vehicle with the performance and dynamic qualities necessary to break lap records on a circuit with a wide variety of corners.”
Limited Production Run
Yangwang will build just 30 U9 Xtremes. The company hasn’t announced plans to sell either the Xtreme or standard U9 in the UK.
No pricing has been revealed for the Xtreme variant. The regular U9 starts at the equivalent of £175,000 in China.
The record puts Chinese EV technology in the spotlight at one of motorsport’s most challenging venues. The Nordschleife’s mix of elevation changes, blind corners, and varying surface conditions makes it a proving ground for high-performance vehicles.
