• The U9 Xtreme has four electric motors delivering 2,978 hp and hits 308.4 mph.
  • Last year, the limited-run U9 Xtreme lapped the Nurburgring in 6:57.147.
  • BYD is selling each YangWang U9 Xtreme for more than 20 million yuan.

Over the past few years, we’ve become accustomed to seeing new BYD models hit the market with absurdly low price tags. The record-breaking YangWang YangWang U9 Xtreme is not that kind of a car. It is, by some distance, the priciest thing the company has ever offered.

More: China’s YangWang U9 Smashed Bugatti’s Speed Record But Still Isn’t Officially The World’s Fastest Car

Li Yunfei, who runs branding and PR for BYD Group, posted on social media that several U9 Xtreme orders were locked in at the Beijing Auto Show. The price? North of 20 million yuan a pop, or roughly $2.92 million at current exchange rates.

BYD’s 2,978 HP Hypercar Just Found Its First Buyers Willing To Pay Bugatti Money
Li Yunfei, BYD

This is more in line with hypercars from the likes of Koenigsegg and Bugatti than what we’d expect to see from BYD. It also makes it more than ten times as expensive as the ‘regular’ YangWang U9, which is available from 1.8 million yuan ($263,000).

Among those to have placed an order for the U9 Xtreme in Beijing was Nick Politis, an Australian businessman estimated to be worth over AU$4.5 billion ($3.2 billion). His car will be the only one sold in Australia and is expected to arrive early next year.

What will shoppers get for their money? Firstly, they get exclusivity, as just 30 units are bound for the production line. In addition, they get a car with four electric motors combining to produce an extraordinary 2,978 hp. This easily makes it the most powerful production car ever and the first to feature a 1,200-volt platform.

What Can It Do?

BYD’s 2,978 HP Hypercar Just Found Its First Buyers Willing To Pay Bugatti Money
BYD’s 2,978 HP Hypercar Just Found Its First Buyers Willing To Pay Bugatti Money
BYD’s 2,978 HP Hypercar Just Found Its First Buyers Willing To Pay Bugatti Money
BYD’s 2,978 HP Hypercar Just Found Its First Buyers Willing To Pay Bugatti Money
BYD’s 2,978 HP Hypercar Just Found Its First Buyers Willing To Pay Bugatti Money
BYD’s 2,978 HP Hypercar Just Found Its First Buyers Willing To Pay Bugatti Money
BYD’s 2,978 HP Hypercar Just Found Its First Buyers Willing To Pay Bugatti Money
BYD’s 2,978 HP Hypercar Just Found Its First Buyers Willing To Pay Bugatti Money
BYD’s 2,978 HP Hypercar Just Found Its First Buyers Willing To Pay Bugatti Money
BYD’s 2,978 HP Hypercar Just Found Its First Buyers Willing To Pay Bugatti Money
BYD’s 2,978 HP Hypercar Just Found Its First Buyers Willing To Pay Bugatti Money
BYD’s 2,978 HP Hypercar Just Found Its First Buyers Willing To Pay Bugatti Money
BYD’s 2,978 HP Hypercar Just Found Its First Buyers Willing To Pay Bugatti Money
BYD’s 2,978 HP Hypercar Just Found Its First Buyers Willing To Pay Bugatti Money
BYD’s 2,978 HP Hypercar Just Found Its First Buyers Willing To Pay Bugatti Money
BYD’s 2,978 HP Hypercar Just Found Its First Buyers Willing To Pay Bugatti Money
BYD’s 2,978 HP Hypercar Just Found Its First Buyers Willing To Pay Bugatti Money
BYD’s 2,978 HP Hypercar Just Found Its First Buyers Willing To Pay Bugatti Money
BYD’s 2,978 HP Hypercar Just Found Its First Buyers Willing To Pay Bugatti Money
BYD’s 2,978 HP Hypercar Just Found Its First Buyers Willing To Pay Bugatti Money

All of the power means the U9 Xtreme can hit 308.4 mph or 496.22 km/h, a feat it achieved last year to eclipse the top speed of the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+, while easily defeating the official two-way average top speed record holder of the SSC Tuatara, set at 282.9 mph (455.3 km/h). It’s unclear if customer cars will be able to hit these speeds, or if they’ll be software-limited to a slightly more reasonable pace.

The U9 Xtreme is also quite capable around a track. While it’s heavy, it lapped the Nurburgring Nordschleife in 6:57.147, outgunning the Rimac Nevera and Xiaomi SU7 Ultra. Admittedly, it is slower than a 500-hp Porsche 911 GT3 RS and almost 20 seconds slower than the new Ford Mustang GTD Competition.