Yangwang, BYD’s luxury sub-brand, has smashed the global production car top speed record after clocking 308.4mph (496.22km/h) at the ATP Automotive Testing Papenburg test track in Germany.

The U9 Xtreme hypercar is now the world’s fastest car overall, electric or otherwise

Having set the production EV record last month, the U9 Xtreme hypercar has now become the fastest car on the planet with its latest record-breaking track run at the hands of German race driver Marc Basseng.

Originally known as the U9 Track/Special Edition, and now officially named as the U9 Xtreme in production guise, or U9X for short, the fastest car on the planet is based on the technical architecture of the U9 currently on sale in China, souped up with a number of innovations.

These include an upgraded powertrain with 1,200V ultra-high-voltage electrics (compared with 800V), a lithium iron phosphate Blade Battery with a discharge rate of 30C and four ultra-high-speed motors that operate at up to 30,000rpm and generate more than 3,000hp.

The U9 Xtreme also gets track-level semi-slick tyres, and revised DiSus-X suspension with specific tuning to cope with the increased stresses of circuit driving.

BYD executive vice president Stella Li said: “Yangwang is a brand that does not recognise the impossible, and only through this commitment to what’s coming next can you end up with a vehicle such as the U9X. 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.”

Basseng, a German track specialist with a long history in sports-car racing and endurance motorsport, said: “This record was only possible because the U9 Xtreme simply has incredible performance. Technically, something like this is not possible with a combustion engine. Thanks to the electric motor, the car is quiet, there are no load changes, and that allows me to focus even more on the track.”

Just 30 examples of the U9 Xtreme are being made worldwide. Its name is derived from the English word ‘Extreme’, meaning ‘limit’ and ‘ultimate’, with added emphasis on the ‘X’, which represents the unknown.