The world’s fastest production car should rightly be tagged with an exorbitant price tag and it would appear that is the case as the BYD Yangwang U9 Xtreme electric supercar was recently sold for more than 20,000,000 yuan (~RM 11.6 million) at Auto China 2026, becoming the world’s most expensive BYD yet. According to BYD,
According to BYD, the U9 Xtreme supercar is limited to only 30 units globally, with one personally delivered during the show by BYD chairman Wang Chuanfu.
BYD swooped in like a wrecking ball with the U9 Xtreme and laid down a blistering 496 kph top speed run, leaving the legacy brands in its rear-view mirror. While it did not set a new Nurburgring lap time, a sub seven-minute time of 6:59.157 is still very much respectable and among the quickest recorded.
You may also be interested: YANGWANG U9X Becomes the World’s Fastest Production Car at 496km/h
The U9 Xtreme makes a reported 3,000 PS using 1,200V electrical architecture and rides on BYD’s DiSus-X fully active suspension system.
Alongside the U9 Xtreme, BYD also presented the Yangwang U8L luxury four-seater SUV to one of the first customers. The U8L is positioned to take on the likes of the Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 in the upper echelons of the luxury game.
You may also be interested: Yangwang U9 Breaks Global EV Speed Record With 472.41km/h Run
Both these models showcase Yangwang’s positioning in the hyper performance and ultra luxury segments, taking the fight to the established legacy marques in the process.
Yangwang operates as BYD’s premium sub-brand, focussing on a low-volume, high-price strategy, as seen with the limited run of 30 units for what is currently the fastest production car in the world. BYD is hoping that exclusivity will drive sales and desirability. Sales data in China shows that Yangwang recorded domestic sales of 945 units in Q1 2026, an 80.3% increase over 2025.
After successfully taking on the legacy brands in the mass market, high-volume game, Chinese carmakers are now eyeing the ultra-luxury and high-performance segments that thrive on exclusivity and status, the latter being an aspect that they lacked, but are now slowly but surely building on.