The Chinese have done it, they’ve created the fastest car in the world.

And, we’re not just talking the fastest electric vehicle in the world, but the fastest production car, period – and they did it with an EV.

German race car driver Marc Basseng managed to pilot a Yangwang U9 Xtreme to a top top speed of 308.4 mph (496.2 km/h).

The high speed run was managed on Sept. 14 at the ATP Automotive Testing Papenburg test track in Germany, BYD, the parent company of Yangwang, announced Sept. 20.

The 308.4-mph top speed exceeds the previous record of 304.1 mph, which was set in 2019 by the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+.

“This is an incredibly proud moment for everyone in the research and development division. Yangwang is a brand that does not recognize the impossible, and only through this commitment to what’s coming next can you end up with a vehicle like the U9X,” BYD executive vice president Stella Li said in a news release.

“I extend my gratitude to the whole team, and my thanks to the driver, Marc Basseng, for his skill and technical input. It’s terrific that the fastest production car in the world is now electric.”

The latest feat comes only a few weeks after the same team achieved the record for the fastest EV in the world.

Basseng drove the same car, then called the Yangwang U9 Track Edition, at the same track on Aug. 8 at a top speed of 472.41 km/h (293.54 mph).

The U9 Xtreme hypercar is a high-performance version of the U9 and has various upgrades to push performance to the extremes.

The U9 Xtreme’s battery architecture is 1,200 volts, versus 800 volts, plus the car has four ultra-high-speed motors, which can spin at up to 30,000 rpm, which pushes power output to more than 3,000 PS (2,956 hp). The U9 Xtreme also has track-level semi-slick tires, a suspension revised for the track and other upgrades.

The U9 Xtreme is available to order now. Yangwang intends to produce only 30 units of this car. The car is not available in Canada.

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