Chinese Electric Hypercar Claims World Speed Record: 496 km/h
In September 2025, the automotive world appeared to witness a historic turning point: China stormed into the elite league and snatched the production car speed record from traditional manufacturers. The dethroned champion wasn’t just anyone – it was Bugatti’s Chiron Super Sport 300+, a hypercar with an insane price tag exceeding $11 million that reached 490.8 km/h in 2019.
The New Champion: Yangwang U9 Xtreme
The new triumph belongs to the fully electric Yangwang U9 Xtreme, a creation from BYD’s automotive factory. This Chinese marvel achieved an astonishing 495.6 km/h on the high-speed oval test track in Papenburg, Germany. Behind the wheel sat world champion GT1 driver and European sprint racing series winner Marc Basseng, demonstrating the vehicle’s racing pedigree.
Symbolic Power Shift: Electric vs Combustion
The moment was doubly symbolic. The European Bugatti achieves its speed through an eight-liter gasoline W16 engine with four turbines generating 1,600 horsepower. Meanwhile, the Chinese manufacturer soared using its own cutting-edge electric technology: four advanced electric motors reaching up to 30,000 RPM and generating 2,959 horsepower, with the DiSus-X suspension optimized for speeds exceeding 480 km/h on the track.
But Is This Record Legitimate?
The U9 Xtreme represents the first production car outside Europe and the US with such ambitious claims. Has the era truly changed? Has the baton been passed?
Not exactly. The Yangwang record, like Bugatti’s latest achievement, hasn’t been officially recognized. The actual formal record holder remains the SSC Tuatara hypercar with a verified result of 455.3 km/h established in 2021. Before that, the Swedish Koenigsegg Agera RS held the top spot, reaching 447.19 km/h in 2017 – which, interestingly, is 20% owned by Chinese conglomerate Evergrande Group.
The Strict Rules of Production Car Records
For manufacturers competing specifically for production car records rather than battling prototypes and tuned monsters, several key conditions must be met:
- The vehicle must be approved for public roads under North American, European, or Japanese licensing
- The record attempt must be conducted under verified external supervision
- The record-breaking model must be available for purchase in the exact version that set the record
- The car must be originally built for civilian use (excluding show cars, commercial vehicles, racing cars, etc.)
- The vehicle must be sold in more than one national market
Why Both Records Fail Validation
The U9 Xtreme and Super Sport 300+ fail to meet two critical criteria immediately – the second and third requirements. Bugatti essentially built a prototype specifically for the record attempt, while their most expensive and advanced versions priced at $11 million don’t reach the same performance level (440 km/h) and are essentially built as individual pre-orders.
Yangwang’s situation differs slightly: the U9 Xtreme was promised in a limited run of 30 units, but at the time of the “record” announcement, they weren’t available for sale. Pre-orders hadn’t opened, and prices remained unannounced, raising questions about the vehicle’s true production status and market availability.
The battle for automotive supremacy continues, but the rules of engagement remain strict – and not every speed claim qualifies as an official production car record.
