- Yangwang U9 sets new global EV top-speed record
- Reached a staggering 293.5 mph
- Quicker than the Rimac Nevera R
- Yangwang is a sub-brand of BYD
- Yangwang could launch in Europe by 2026 with the U8 SUV
Chinese manufacturer Yangwang has just claimed a new ‘global EV top-speed record’ - with its U9 Track Edition hypercar hitting 293.5 mph!
Yangwang is a high-end sub-brand of BYD and the firm is also plotting a European launch, possibly as soon as 2026.
The U9 (below), currently on sale in China beginning at around £200,000, is a super coupe developed under ex-Lamborghini, Audi and Alfa Romeo designer Wolfgang Egger.
Base models get a hefty 1,300 PS and a 192 mph top speed.
While ‘Track Edition’ of the U9 shares the same 80 kWh battery as its more sedate sibling, it's a different beast entirely and has just torn-up the ATP Automotive Testing Papenburg test track in Germany.
The Track Edition’s quad-motor ‘e4’ electric platform delivers a staggering 3,000 PS and gives it a power-to-weight ratio of 1,217 PS per tonne, putting it among some seriously heavy hitters in the hypercar world.
Sophisticated independent torque-vectoring and a DiSus-X Intelligent Body Control System ensures stability - and no wheel slip or loss of traction - even at these face-melting speeds.
The basic shape of the Yangwang U9 Track Edition remains the same as the regular road-going car, with the addition of an optional carbon-fiber front splitter that is already in mass production.
The record was set by German professional driver Marc Basseng. The 293.5 mph top speed of the U9 Track Edition beats the previous record-holder, the Aspark OWL SP600, which peaked at 272.61 mph last year.
Basseng was behind the wheel of the Owl, too, and he said this week: “Last year, I thought I'd peaked. I never expected to break my own record so soon - but here we are, at the same track, with new technologies that have made it possible.”
Is the Yangwang U9 Track Edition really the world’s fastest EV?
The Yangwang U9 is blisteringly quick - and has a higher top speed than the 2,000 PS Rimac Nevera R, which can accelerate from 0-60 mph in just 1.66 seconds and has a top speed of 268.2 mph.
But is the Yangwang U9 Track Edition the fastest EV, full stop?
The good folks at Ohio State University and Monaco-based manufacturer Venturi might have something to say about that.
Back in 2016, Venturi and a team from the university teamed-up to build the Venturi Buckeye Bullet 3 - an EV streamliner with 3,000 PS and designed to break land speed records.
On a two-way run on the famous Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, the Bullet 3 averaged a speed of 341.3 mph - and hit a claimed top speed of 358 mph.
The Bullet 3 is, however, far from being a production vehicle and is unlikely to ever see a road.
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