The Aerospace-Inspired 3D Printed Frame Behind Yangwang’s Record-Breaking U9 Xtreme

Additive manufacturing has once again proven its ability to push the limits of performance. On August 22, 2025, the Yangwang U9 Xtreme (U9X) shattered records at Germany’s famed Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit, completing a lap in just 6:59.157 minutes, over five seconds faster than the previous best for electric super sports cars. Not only did it claim the top spot in its class, but it also became the first mass-produced EV to break the seven-minute barrier.

Yangwang, a premium performance brand under Chinese automaker BYD, attributes this achievement to more than just power and aerodynamics. Last week, Yang Feng, head of the Yangwang Research Institute at BYD Auto Engineering Research Institute, revealed details about the car’s 3D printed body to CarNewsChina. He shared that part of his team’s success was due to looking to aerospace standards for producing the frame.

The 3D printed car frame was inspired by aerospace design principles.

Aerospace Design Principles and Materials Reimagined for the Road

To create the U9X’s frame, engineers looked to the aerospace industry. The team developed what it calls multidimensional surface parametric modeling, a technique designed to ensure smooth, continuous transitions across complex curved surfaces. This modeling approach enabled the creation of the Printing HyperCell structure, a honeycomb-like design integrating internal cavities and ribs for maximum rigidity and lightness. According to CarNewsChina, this marks the first-ever automotive application of such a structure. The new design reportedly boosts torsional stiffness by more than 200 percent compared to solid structures of equal weight.