The Yangwang U9 Xtreme was already the fastest production car on the planet. Now it has now broken the Nurburgring lap record for electric cars.
Earlier this year, the U9 Xtreme reached an official top speed of 308.4mph, setting a new benchmark for EVs.
Yangwang’s engineering team has been paying regular visits to Germany’s fearsome Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit during the past year.
This testing time helped the U9 Xtreme to achieve a lap time of 6min 59.157sec – five seconds quicker than the previous EV record-holder.
Breaking records at the ‘Green Hell’
Developed from the Yangwang U9 electric sports car, the track-focused Xtreme features four electric motors, each one capable of spinning at up to 30,000rpm.
Total power output is a mighty 3,000hp. The U9 Extreme also makes a world-first use of mass-produced 1,200V battery technology.
Standard specification on the Xtreme includes a titanium-alloy carbon-ceramic braking system, along with Yangwang’s trick DiSus-X suspension.
Specially developed GitiSport e-GTR Pro semi-slick tyres were used for the record run, helping control the Yangwang on the 154 corners that make up the ‘Green Hell’.
Pushing the limits of performance
German racing driver Moritz Kranz was behind the wheel for the record run. He said: “The Nurburgring Nordschleife is the most demanding track, and our lap time is a testament to the development skills of BYD and Yangwang.”
The record gives another boost to the Yangwang brand, which is a new, upmarket division of the globally successful BYD Auto company.
BYD executive vice president Stella Li said: “We are dedicated to pushing the limits of what can be achieved through technology, and the Nurburgring is such a legendary challenge for cars and drivers that it is only natural for our engineers to pursue their dreams there. I congratulate the entire team on this phenomenal achievement.
“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.”
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308.4mph! Yangwang U9 becomes the world’s fastest production car
