BYD Yang Wang U9 electric Supercar lap ring at 7:17

Chinese automakers are quickly growing into formidable forces when it comes to setting lap times for the Nürburgring.

Shortly after Xiaomi set the record time for the 4-door car at the German racetrack at 6:46.874, Byd's Yangwang U10 Electric supercar set a time of 7:17.900, as the su7Ultra sedan prototype was removed in May.

The U9's time is not a record, but it is still one of the fastest times for a production electric car 1. The car has been on sale in China since May 8, with a starting price of 168 million yuan (aboutド232,000).

The production Ev record remains the 2023 lap set by the Rimac Nevera with 1,914 horsepower at 7:05:298. Porsche's 1,092 hp Taikan Turbo GT approached that time, setting 7:07.55 earlier this year, but to achieve that, its rear seats must be removed.

The record for any type of production car was set on May 10 by the Mercedes-Benz AMG One hybrid Hypercar 6: It's 29.090, meaning EVs still have a long way to go to catch up with cars packing gas engines.

Yangwang is Byd's new luxury brand, which overtook Tesla earlier this year to become the world's largest Ev manufacturer. The U9 was first shown during Yangwang's launch in early 2023 along with a rugged SUV called the u8.

The U9 is equipped with a quad motor, all-wheel drive powertrain rated at peak 1,288 hp, and according to BYD, the car was tested enough to accelerate to 2.36mph from break in 62 seconds The car also hit a top speed of 243.5 mph. However, 'The car in the ring lap has only reached a top speed of 171mph on a long straight, suggesting that perhaps faster time is still possible.'

The U9's motor is independently controlled, helping to reliably power where it needs to be, and the handling also benefits from a sophisticated adjustable suspension system known as the disus-X.The system can provide up to 75mm of suspension movement at each corner, and due to its fast reaction speed, it can even let the u9 jump into the air.

According to Byd, the U9's battery is an 80kwh unit that can charge up to 500kw. It is not clear how many laps the Nürburgring U9 can do at full tilt, but the system relies in part on active air features to increase heat dissipation, while cooling the battery in high-load, long-term situations, such as driving on a race track.

Inside the U9 are all the things you'd expect of a modern supercar, including carbon fiber passenger cells, 14-way adjustable sports seats and a high-end audio system.