---
title: "BYD achieved 30% weight saving with record-breaking AM chassis"
url: https://www.voxelmatters.com/byd-achieved-30-weight-saving-with-record-breaking-am-chassis/
date: 2026-02-25
modified: 2026-02-25
lang: en
author: "Joseph Caron-Dawe"
description: "When BYD's Yangwang U9X set a new world record for production vehicles at the Nurburgring in Germany in October, it was lauded as a significant advancement both in the capabilities..."
categories:
  - "Automotive AM"
tags:
  - "future"
image: https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/EuroCarBody2025欧洲车身大会现场图片-scaled-1-640x427.jpg
word_count: 312
---

# BYD achieved 30% weight saving with record-breaking AM chassis

When BYD's Yangwang U9X set a new world record for production vehicles at the Nurburgring in Germany in October, it was lauded as a significant advancement both in the capabilities of battery electric vehicles (BEV), and the advancing utilization and benefits of metal PBF in high-performance vehicle manufacturing. 

![BYD Yangwang U9X](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/BYD-Yangwang-U9X-01-e1771976693396-340x288.jpg)

A sub-seven-minute lap time was a first for a production EV on the famous track, made all the more interesting by its [additively manufactured](https://www.voxelmatters.com/dash-bespoke-a-new-on-demand-supercar-manufacturing-service/)[ chassis](https://www.voxelmatters.com/dash-bespoke-a-new-on-demand-supercar-manufacturing-service/).

It’s since been revealed that days prior to the lap record, the car set another world record for a production vehicle, with a top speed of 496.22 km/h. The lap record then made it the first supercar to simultaneously hold both a top speed and lap time world record.

[At the time, we reported on what BYD claimed as the world's first integrated 3D printed high-performance car body](https://www.voxelmatters.com/byd-yangwang-reveals-3d-printed-chassis-behind-u9-xtreme-ev-lap-record/): a proprietary high-strength aluminum alloy developed specifically for the project.

More generally, several key body components of the U9X were printed using [BLT’](https://www.voxelmatters.directory/company/bright-laser-technologies/)s large-format metal additive manufacturing systems, including the BLT-S1000, BLT-S615, and BLT-S815. In addition to the body structure, BLT also delivered 20 sets of high-performance 3D printed brake calipers for the U9X, all of which successfully completed the Nürburgring endurance tests.

![](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/BYD车架2.png)That approach delivered a torsional stiffness increase of more than 200% compared with a solid structure of equivalent mass, and since then, it’s also been revealed that the high-strength aluminum alloy body delivered a claimed 30%+ weight saving compared to components produced through conventional manufacturing methods.

Also part of the test at Nurburgring were 20 sets of 3D printed brake calipers for the U9X. These have drawn attention for their internal oil channels and inserts, incorporated directly into the printed structure, and for the 20-30% weight saving achieved through topology optimization.

Each part of the calipers achieved a density greater than 99.5% and passed radiographic inspection with no reported internal defects.