Chinese automakers are quickly growing into a formidable force when it comes to setting blistering Nürburgring lap times.
Hot on the heels of Xiaomi setting a record time of 6:46.874 for a four-door car at the German racetrack with its stripped-out SU7 Ultra sedan prototype in October, the Yangwang U9 electric supercar from BYD has just set a time of 7:17.900.
The U9’s time isn’t a record but is still one of the quickest for a production electric vehicle. The car has been available in China since August, where it retails with a starting price of 1.68 million renminbi (approximately $232,000).
The record for production EVs remains the 7:05:298 lap set by the 1,914-hp Rimac Nevera in 2023. Porsche’s 1,092-hp Taycan Turbo GT came close to that time, setting a 7:07.55 earlier this year, but needed to remove its rear seats to achieve it.
Yangwang U9
The record for a production car of any type is the 6:29.090 set in October by the Mercedes-Benz AMG One hybrid hypercar, meaning EVs still have a long way to go to catch up to cars still packing a gas engine.
Yangwang is a new luxury brand from BYD, which overtook Tesla earlier this year to become the world’s biggest manufacturer of EVs. The U9 was first shown together with a rugged SUV called the U8 during Yangwang’s launch in early 2023.
Yangwang U9
The U9 is powered by a quad-motor, all-wheel-drive powertrain rated at a peak 1,288 hp, which according to BYD is enough for the car to accelerate to 62 mph from rest in 2.36 seconds. The car was also tested hitting a top speed of 243.54 mph. However, the car during the ‘Ring lap only reached a top speed of 171 mph on the long straight, perhaps hinting that a faster time may be possible still.
The U9’s motors are independently controlled and help to ensure power is directed where it is needed, and the handling also benefits from a sophisticated adjustable suspension system known as DiSus-X. The system can deliver up to 75 millimeters of suspension travel at each corner, and due to its fast reacting speed, can even cause the U9 to hop in the air.
Yangwang U9
The U9’s battery is an 80-kwh unit capable of charging at rates as high as 500 kw, according to BYD. It isn’t clear how many laps of the Nürburgring the U9 could make at full tilt, though the car features a bespoke thermal management system designed to keep the battery cool during extended high-load situations, like driving on a racetrack. The system partially relies on active aerodynamic features to enhance heat dissipation.
The interior of the U9 features all the details one would expect in a modern supercar, including a carbon-fiber passenger cell, sports seats with 14-way adjustment, and a high-end audio system.