On today's chart 36K views since yesterday

Yangwang's 500km/h run needed a swept highway and no wing

Today's James Ward explains the preparation behind the electric hypercar's high-speed run outside Abu Dhabi, with a Guinness certificate in hand.

Channel:

9 News Australia Story of November 8, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? One of the most watched videos since yesterday, with 36,181 views.

Watch this electric hypercar shatter the global top speed record | 9 News Australia

Things we can learn from the video

Press to jump

0:43Ward displays Giti's Guinness certificate for the electric-vehicle speed achievement.
1:10The closed highway was swept and cleared of reflectors for a run using road-legal tyres.
1:39Removing the rear spoiler reduced downforce to help increase maximum speed.
3:40Active suspension gives the hypercar the ability to hop over speed humps, Ward explains.

The rear wing normally helps keep the Yangwang U9 X planted. For its top-speed run, it came off.

That is one of the revealing details James Ward brings to Today's interview about BYD's electric hypercar, posted by 9 News Australia today. The segment has drawn roughly 36,000 views in its first seven hours, pairing footage of the car with an explanation of how carefully the road had to be prepared.

Joining from Abu Dhabi in a tuxedo, Ward holds up a Guinness World Records certificate awarded to tyre maker Giti for reaching 503.17km/h in an electric vehicle. Today presents the run as a world production-car speed record; the certificate Ward displays specifically recognises the tyre company's electric-vehicle achievement.

According to Ward, the run took place on a closed public highway outside Abu Dhabi using road-legal tyres. The surface was meticulously swept and the reflectors removed. Taking off the rear spoiler reduced downforce to help the car reach its maximum speed, a trade-off that makes this rather different from an ordinary showroom demonstration.

Ward also says an Australian has bought one of the limited-run cars. And outright speed isn't its only unusual trick: he explains that its active suspension can make it hop over speed humps, with footage showing the system in action.

Published on Trari