Cover image via YOUCAR
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Chinese car manufacturer BYD has turned heads after breaking the speed record for the fastest car in the world
Not long after setting an electric car top speed record on the twisty roads of the Nürburgring in Germany, the YangWang U9 hypercar has returned with a new name, the U9 Xtreme, and an extraordinary new achievement. On its latest run, it delivered a blistering top speed of 496.22km/h.
Check out the video of the action below:
An onboard clip of the electric hypercar's record run shows it was already travelling at over 300km/h as it navigated the sloped curve of the oval track
As driver Marc Basseng then pinned the throttle, the car gained speed at a truly shocking pace, roaring past 450km/h and 470 km/h with apparent ease.
The car didn't even appear to be breaking a sweat as it reached its record speed of 496 km/h, and it looks highly probable that it could have breezed past 500km/h.
However, Basseng was forced to lift off the throttle and jump on the brakes as the car began to drift towards the left-hand barrier of the track.
The car almost hit a mind-blowing 500km/h before the driver backed off the speed record
The U9 Xtreme's new top speed was achieved at the ATP Papenburg high-speed oval in Germany. However, since this was only a one-way run, the SSC Tuatara still retains the official two-way average title with its record of 455.3km/h, at least for now.
The American-made SSC Tuatara.
Image via F1rst MotorsDespite that technicality, the U9 Xtreme's numbers are truly remarkable. The new record eclipsed the one-way run of the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+, which reached 490.48km/h in 2019.
For a Chinese EV to surpass one of the most revered European hypercars is a significant milestone in itself.
The YangWang U9 not only broke the speed record, but also the record at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, a legendary 20.8km road course known for its challenging layout
BYD has also confirmed that the hypercar set a new EV production car lap record at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, completing the circuit in a blistering 6 minutes and 59.157 seconds.
This time snatched the record away from the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra, which had posted a time of 7 minutes and 4.957 seconds earlier this year.
Check out the video of the run below:
