BYD hypercar crashes while attempting speed record beyond 500 km/h

The crash is real, but the headline may overstate what the run was. Reports from November 2 and 3, 2026 agree that a Yangwang U9 Xtreme, BYD's performance brand's supercar, was destroyed in a high-speed crash on a closed track in China. The test driver got out on his own and was reported unharmed. Footage and photos began circulating on Chinese social media on November 2, and BYD released its own video.

What's less clear is the speed. Torque, citing BYD's video, says the crash happened during a 420 to 450 km/h evaluation run, not a 500 km/h attempt. DailyRevs and LatestEVNews both say it isn't confirmed that the car was on a maximum-speed run. The car's official record is 496.22 km/h, set in September 2025 at the Automotive Testing Papenburg facility in Germany. BYD still plans a 500 km/h attempt in Dubai this November, and it's unclear whether the crash changes that. Telemetry and impact data haven't been published, so the cause is unknown.

Sources: Motor1 and Torque.

Also discussed here:
- Tacoma's new speed cameras recorded about 400,000 violations in fou…