Chinese automaker Yangwang has claimed the Nurburgring lap record for a production electric sports car with its U9 Xtreme, clocking an impressive 6 minutes 59.157 seconds on the 20.8 km circuit in August.
Driven by professional racer Moritz Kranz, the 2,959-horsepower, quad-motor U9 Xtreme shaved five seconds off the previous production EV record set by the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra. While Xiaomi’s prototype later posted a faster 6m22s, Yangwang retains the official record since its car is commercially available — albeit in a limited run of just 30 units.
The record-breaking U9 features upgrades including a new cooling system, titanium-alloy carbon-ceramic brakes and semi-slick tyres, built on Yangwang’s 1,200V high-voltage platform. Each of its four motors can spin up to 30,000 rpm, enabling a top speed of 308 mph.
«The U9 Xtreme has proven it’s not only the fastest in a straight line but also capable of dominating the world’s toughest track,» said Stella Li, vice president of BYD, Yangwang’s parent company.
