BYD's 3,000-hp Yangwang U9 Xtreme hypercar crashed during a 450 km/h (280 mph) test run in China, and the driver escaped with no serious injuries. Here's what happened, the U9 Xtreme's 308 mph record, specs and its roughly $3 million price.
Photo: Yangwang / BYD
The fastest production car BYD has built is now a wreck, and the man who was driving it walked away. A Yangwang U9 Xtreme, the nearly 3,000-horsepower electric hypercar that set a 308 mph top-speed mark last year, crashed during high-speed testing in China. The driver was on a run meant to pass 450 km/h (about 280 mph). BYD says a hospital exam found him in good health with no serious injuries.
BYD released video of the crash, including footage from inside the car. The front and rear of the car were torn apart, but the carbon-fiber passenger cell held together. Shortly afterward, BYD went back out with another car and reached 457.89 km/h (284.5 mph). Its goal is still 500 km/h, or about 311 mph.
BYD was running the U9 Xtreme through a series of faster and faster test runs. According to BYD's video, as reported by Electrek:
BYD has not said where the crash happened or the exact speed at impact. Autoevolution reports that the test driver said the car lost traction, the rear stepped out when he lifted off the throttle, and it hit the left-side guardrail at about 360 km/h (224 mph) before spinning into the right-side barrier. BYD has not confirmed that figure. InsideEVs reports no battery fire.
BYD said a medical exam at the hospital found the driver in good health with no serious injuries. He reportedly walked out of the car on his own.
The U9 Xtreme is built around a carbon-fiber passenger cell. BYD says the structure is designed for high stiffness and crash protection. The crash tested that claim at a speed few cars can reach. Photos and video show the nose and tail of the car came apart while the cabin stayed largely intact.
That is how a modern race car or hypercar is meant to crash. The ends of the car absorb energy as they break apart, and the cell around the driver stays in one piece. The car's lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery also did not catch fire, according to InsideEVs. LFP chemistry is generally more resistant to thermal runaway than the nickel-based cells used in many high-performance EVs.
Yangwang is BYD's top luxury brand. The U9 Xtreme is a track-focused version of the regular U9 supercar, with more power, a higher-voltage system and semi-slick tires.
| Spec | Yangwang U9 Xtreme |
|---|---|
| Power | 2,220 kW (about 2,977 hp / 3,000+ PS) |
| Motors | Four, rated up to 30,000 rpm |
| Electrical system | 1,200 volts |
| Battery | LFP Blade Battery, 30C discharge rate |
| Brakes | Carbon-ceramic discs |
| Tires | Giti semi-slicks developed for up to 500 km/h (310.6 mph) |
| Top speed (2025) | 496.22 km/h (308.4 mph) |
| Nürburgring Nordschleife | 6:59.157 |
| Production | No more than 30 units |
| Price | More than 20 million yuan (roughly $3 million) |
The price comes from BYD's sale of a U9 Xtreme at the Beijing Auto Show in April 2026, when CarNewsChina reported the car sold for more than 20 million yuan. That makes it the most expensive BYD ever sold. The dollar figure is a conversion and is approximate. The U9 Xtreme is not sold in the US.
On September 14, 2025, German racing driver Marc Basseng drove a U9 Xtreme to 496.22 km/h (308.4 mph) at ATP Automotive Testing Papenburg in Germany. BYD called it a new top-speed record for a production car. It beat the 490.484 km/h (304.8 mph) run by the gas-powered Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ in 2019.
"This is an incredibly proud moment for everyone in the research and development division," BYD executive vice president Stella Li said at the time. Basseng said, "Thanks to the electric motor, the car is quiet, there are no load changes."
Some outlets describe BYD's figure as unofficial, since top-speed claims are often judged on a two-way average. The two-way average production car record still belongs to the Koenigsegg Agera RS, at 277.87 mph (446.97 km/h) on a Nevada highway in 2017.
BYD still plans to push the U9 Xtreme past 500 km/h, or about 311 mph. CarNewsChina reported in late October that Li named Dubai as the planned site and said the team needs a street about 15 kilometers long. BYD has not publicly confirmed the road, the permits or a date.
After the crash, Yangwang's Jiang Gong said he believes the car can break 500 km/h, according to Electrek. Autoevolution reports the UAE run may now be canceled. BYD has not said so, and its later 457.89 km/h run suggests the program is continuing.
The bottom line: A Yangwang U9 Xtreme crashed while BYD was trying to push it past 450 km/h (about 280 mph), and the driver walked away with no serious injuries. The carbon-fiber cell and LFP battery held up in a crash at a speed very few cars can reach. BYD went back out and hit 457.89 km/h with another car, and it still plans to try for 500 km/h. We'll update this story when BYD confirms the date and location of that attempt.
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