Yangwang U9

Yangwang is BYD's high-end brand, and the U9 is its electric supercar. Launched in Shanghai in February 2024 at 1.68 million yuan, it is a two-seater built to show what BYD can do when price is no longer the point. It is sold in China, so in the UK it is a car for importers and dreamers.

The hardware

Four electric motors, one for each wheel, produce a combined 960 kW (1,305 PS) and 1,680 Nm. Yangwang quotes 0–100 km/h in 2.36 seconds and a top speed of 309.19 km/h. An 80 kWh BYD Blade battery on an 800-volt platform gives a CLTC range of 450 km. These are manufacturer figures, not VOLT-AGE test results.

The suspension that jumps

The U9 is the first car with BYD's DiSus-X body control system. It offers up to 75 mm of suspension travel and lifts each axle at up to 500 mm per second, with more than a tonne of lifting force at each wheel. On track it fights roll, squat and dive. Off it, the car can bounce on the spot, "dance" and even drive on three wheels.

The fastest EV

On 8 August 2025, the U9 Track Edition reached 472.41 km/h (293.54 mph) at the ATP test track in Papenburg, Germany, with racing driver Marc Basseng at the wheel. The run was made in one direction, rather than averaged over two opposite runs as many top-speed records are.

That car became the U9 Xtreme, a 3,000 PS version limited to 30 cars. On 22 August 2025 it lapped the Nürburgring Nordschleife in 6:59.157, the first production EV under seven minutes. On 14 September 2025 it reached 496.22 km/h (308.4 mph) at Papenburg, which BYD claims as the top-speed record for any production car. Read the full story in the Journal.

Why it matters

The U9 is proof that Chinese EV makers now compete at the very top, not only on value. It belongs in this directory for its sheer speed and for a suspension that can lift a wheel off the ground on command.