BYD YANGWANG U9 Xtreme sets new production EV Nürburgring record

YANGWANG, BYD’s luxury performance sub-brand, has set a new benchmark at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Just one month after achieving a world-record top speed of 496.22 km/h at ATP Papenburg, the YANGWANG U9 Xtreme has now posted a 6:59.157 lap time around the 20.832 km circuit, making it the first production EV to break the seven-minute barrier.

The record, set on August 22, 2025, cuts more than five seconds off the previous Nürburgring record for production EVs, which was set by the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra. YANGWANG engineers had been testing at the track since July 2024, refining the U9 Xtreme’s performance using extensive data gathered from long-term on-site evaluations.

BYD Executive Vice President Stella Li said the record reflects the company’s commitment to technological innovation.

“The Nürburgring is a legendary challenge for cars and drivers. The U9 Xtreme has proven it’s not only the world’s fastest car in a straight line but also capable of record-breaking lap times,” she said.

The lap was driven by Moritz Kranz, a German racer with nearly 10,000 Nürburgring laps in GT competition.

“The Nordschleife is the most demanding track in the world. This result shows how well BYD and YANGWANG have balanced extreme EV power with precise chassis control,” Kranz said.

The U9 Xtreme is powered by four electric motors capable of 30,000 rpm, producing a combined output of over 3,000 PS (2957 hp) and a power-to-weight ratio of 1,217 PS per tonne. It’s built on the world’s first 1200V all-domain ultra-high-voltage platform and uses YANGWANG’s e⁴ Platform and DiSus-X intelligent body-control system.

To meet the Nürburgring’s demands, the car features a new cooling system, titanium-alloy carbon-ceramic brakes, and GitiSport e·GTR² PRO semi-slick tires developed with Giti. These upgrades allowed the car to combine its world-record top speed with exceptional circuit performance.

Production of the U9 Xtreme will be limited to just 30 units. Its name combines “Extreme,” symbolizing ultimate limits, with “X,” representing the pursuit of the unknown, reflecting YANGWANG’s philosophy of innovation through exploration.