Yesterday, we reported on rumors that the record-breaking Yangwang U9 Xtreme supercar was heading to Gran Turismo 7, and the timing felt right. There’s been a flurry of PlayStation activity in China this week for the official launch of the PS5 Pro, and series creator Kazunori Yamauchi himself was spotted at a launch event at Porsche Shanghai. Today, those rumors have been officially confirmed.
Posts on both PlayStation China’s official Weibo and Bilibili accounts (as first spotted by GTPlanet user RacingRaymond) have confirmed the Yangwang U9 Xtreme’s inclusion in Gran Turismo 7. And just as we saw in the previously unsourced photos, the car is indeed wearing prominent Gran Turismo logo stickers.
The confirmation comes with an accompanying promotional video that shows off the U9 Xtreme in action.
The (real-world) video is likely to raise even more eyebrows than the car, as it prominently features the U9 Xtreme driving on the Shanghai International Circuit. Although nothing in the official material suggests that China’s premier F1 circuit is actually set for inclusion in the game, it has long been on Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi’s radar.
During an interview in Shanghai all the way back in 2012, Yamauchi-san first mentioned that he would be visiting the track to “consider what ‘elements’ could be integrated into a future Gran Turismo title”. In a 2016 interview, his intentions were even more clear, stating that Polyphony Digital has “wanted to add the Shanghai International Circuit since a while back, and we’re currently making arrangements.”
Although those comments were from 2012 and 2016, they have continued to fuel speculation among fans that the track would eventually make its way into the game. Now that the circuit has appeared in an “official” Gran Turismo promotional video, those rumblings are only going to get stronger.
Adding even more fuel to that fire is the recent announcement of the next two confirmed tracks for Gran Turismo 7 Spec III: Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi and the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Canada. Both of these are current F1 tracks on the calendar, suggesting a possible trend towards incorporating more contemporary Grand Prix venues.
As mentioned in our previous coverage, the Yangwang U9 Xtreme is quite a machine. Part of the BYD Auto group, the world’s biggest producer of electric vehicles, Yangwang is their halo marque, focusing on technology.
The U9 Xtreme, a limited-run, track-focused model, boasts an astonishing 2,977hp, making it the most powerful production car in the world. It’s also an EV production car lap record holder at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, achieving a sub-seven-minute time of 6:59.157 earlier this year.
The U9 Xtreme is now the second Chinese car set for inclusion in Gran Turismo 7. The Xiaomi SU7 Ultra was confirmed back in June, though it’s still not clear when we can expect either car to be added to the game.
We’re hoping to learn more about both at the Gran Turismo World Series event in Los Angeles on November 8 (and we’re hoping to see you there, too, thanks to our discounted tickets). Stay tuned!
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