Inside BYD’s 308 MPH Record Run with the Yangwang U9 Xtreme ( Tires Revealed )

The BYD Yangwang U9 Xtreme has rewritten what we thought was possible for an electric hypercar. At the high-speed oval in Papenburg, Germany, the car reached a blistering 308.4 miles per hour, officially measured at 496.22 kilometers per hour. This attempt was completed on September 14, 2025, with professional driver Marc Basseng behind the wheel, and the figure has now been confirmed publicly.

What makes this achievement so impressive is the engineering that went into the U9 Xtreme. The car is built on BYD’s advanced 1,200-volt platform, paired with four independent electric motors that together deliver close to 3,000 horsepower. The Blade Battery, using lithium iron phosphate chemistry, is specially designed for high discharge rates, which allowed the car to maintain maximum output during the run.

Control at those speeds is just as important as raw power. The U9 Xtreme was fitted with semi-slick tires developed with Giti Tire. Known as the GitiSport e.GTR2 Pro, these tires were specifically engineered to handle the extreme stresses of a 300-mile-per-hour run. They featured a knurled interface between rim and tire along with a high-viscosity compound to prevent slip under violent loads. Reports suggest they ran a 325/35 R20 setup at all four corners, providing both grip and stability. This was paired with BYD’s DiSus-X active suspension system, tuned to keep the car planted through the Papenburg oval’s banked sections.

Production of the U9 Xtreme will be limited to around 30 units, underscoring its role as both a technology showcase and a halo model for BYD’s luxury Yangwang brand. Beyond the headline number, the run signals how far electric vehicle development has come: high-voltage systems, motor control, and advanced tire technology are coming together to push beyond what was once thought achievable.

The BYD Yangwang U9 Xtreme is not just about being the fastest. It is proof that the future of high-performance cars will be defined as much by software, electric architecture, and smart engineering partnerships as by brute horsepower. This is a glimpse of where hypercars are heading, and it shows China’s growing dominance in pushing those boundaries.