BYD's $3-Million Hypercar Crashed Hard During High-Speed Testing: Video
The 2,977-hp Yangwang U9 Xtreme was reportedly damaged during high-speed testing in China.
BYD’s wild 2,977-horsepower Yangwang U9 Xtreme hypercar has crashed during high-speed testing in China. It happened just days before the car was expected to make another attempt at breaking 311 mph (500-km/h).
Video and photos uncovered by CarNewsChina of the wrecked U9 Xtreme started circulating on Chinese social media on November 2. The car appears to have lost control on a closed track before slamming into a barrier hard enough to tear the rear axle assembly away from the car entirely.
BYD hasn’t said how fast the car was traveling when the crash happened or exactly what caused it to lose control. Despite the severity of the wreck, the driver reportedly walked away without serious injuries.
Watch the full video below:
The Crash Was Serious, But The Driver Was OK
Photos from the crash show a U9 Xtreme with extensive damage to both the front and rear bodywork. The rear axle assembly was reportedly torn completely away from the car in the impact.
The passenger compartment appears to have remained largely intact, and multiple reports say the test driver was able to climb out of the wreckage without assistance. There were also no immediate reports of a battery fire following the crash.
The U9 Xtreme's safety structure is built around a carbon-fiber-intensive passenger cell. BYD says the regular U9 features a "Super Carbon-Fiber Cabin" designed to provide high torsional rigidity while helping protect occupants in a crash.
The U9 Xtreme Is Already The World’s Fastest EV
The Yangwang U9 Xtreme is the most extreme version of BYD’s U9 electric supercar. In September 2025, it reached 308.3 mph (496.22 kmh), making it the world’s fastest production EV. BYD officially confirmed the record after the run.
The U9 Xtreme packs four electric motors making a combined 2,977 horsepower, along with a 1,200-volt electrical architecture and an 80.0-kilowatt-hour battery pack. It also uses track-focused semi-slick tires and a heavily revised version of BYD’s DiSus-X suspension system.
The car’s four-motor e4 platform allows BYD to independently control torque at each wheel. It’s the same basic technology that gives the regular U9 some of its more bizarre party tricks, including the ability to jump and even "dance."
On the U9 Xtreme, however, the system has been tuned to handle much more serious demands, including high-speed driving and cornering.
BYD Still Wants To Break 311 MPH
BYD has already confirmed plans to take the U9 Xtreme back out for another high-speed run in the United Arab Emirates. The goal is to beat its existing 308-mph (496.22-km/h) record and finally break the 311-mph (500-km/h) barrier.
Whether this crash affects those plans remains unclear.
More From BYD
Source: via CarNewsChina
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