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标题: Yangwang U9 Xtreme Sets New 503 km/h Speed Record with an Integrated 3D-Printed Body [打印本页]

作者: admin 时间: 2026-11-12 10:33
标题: Yangwang U9 Xtreme Sets New 503 km/h Speed Record with an Integrated 3D-Printed Body
Nanjixiong's introduction: A car reaching 503 km/h is more than merely fast. The more relevant point for the 3D-printing industry is that its body is 3D printed.

On November 6, 2026, Nanjixiong learned that BYD's Yangwang brand announced that the U9 Xtreme (U9X) reached a top speed of 503.17 km/h on the E11 public road in Abu Dhabi, UAE, on November 1. It broke its own production-car speed record. Guinness World Records certified it in two categories—the fastest production car in a single direction and the fastest electric production car—and the result was recognized by the FIA.

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This was not a modified car. According to BYD, the run took place on Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed International Road in the Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi. A 10 km section was closed, including a longest straight of 7 km. During two days of testing on October 31, the best speed was 490 km/h. The engineering team worked overnight to adjust initial battery and motor temperatures, rear-wing angle of attack, suspension rebound damping, and tire pressure. On the second run on November 1, the car reached 503.17 km/h. The driver was Marc Basseng, who had led the previous record-breaking team at Papenburg, Germany.

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Powertrain figures: the Yi Si Fang four-motor system uses four motors, each rated at 30,000 rpm and 755 hp (555 kW), for a combined 3,019 hp and a power-to-weight ratio of 1,217 hp per tonne. It has an all-domain 1,200 V high-voltage platform and a battery capable of 30C discharge. The track-oriented semi-slick tires were jointly developed with Giti Tire.

Automotive media have widely covered the powertrain, battery, and tires. Nanjixiong is more interested in the body. At EuroCarBody 2025 in October last year, BYD presented what it described as the world's first integrated 3D-printed high-performance body for the Yangwang U9X and received the highest score from the professional jury. The body was produced by Chinese metal AM company BLT using BLT-S1000 (12 lasers), BLT-S615, and BLT-S815 systems, with a one-piece high-strength aluminum-alloy SLM process.

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Several figures confirmed by the companies: topology optimization combined cavities and ribs to raise torsional stiffness by more than 200% versus a solid structure of equal mass; weight was reduced by more than 30% compared with a conventional manufacturing solution; and dimensional deviations across more than 90% of the printed blank were kept within ±0.5 mm. In addition to the body, BLT delivered 20 sets of 3D-printed brake calipers. Their oil passages and inserts were printed as one piece. Topology optimization reduced weight by 20%–30%, part density exceeded 99.5%, and the parts have been validated on the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

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Another body component is a T700-grade 12K carbon-fiber monocoque cockpit; the vehicle uses more than 110 kg of carbon fiber in total. Yangwang says 3D printing enabled greater freedom in body-structure design. The team redesigned load paths, placing material only where loads require it, and combined components that would traditionally be welded or bolted together into a single printed part.

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Nanjixiong's view

In automotive applications, metal AM had mainly been used for non-load-bearing validation parts such as brackets and clips. The U9X takes it into an integrated, load-bearing main body. The vehicle is limited to 30 units worldwide, so it will not change the automotive industry's cost structure, but it changes the technology narrative. The next question is whether a printed body can move down from million-yuan supercars into mass-production models.

Sources: BYD official press release, BLT website, Yangwang Auto (November 2026)

AI-translated from an article by Kuaixiong on Nanjixiong, originally published on 2026-11-06. Text and images retain the original source attribution.
Read the original Chinese article

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