0 to 60 mph times. Quarter-mile times. Top speed records. There’s no shortage of metrics that automakers will scrap and fight to conquer, taking the bragging rights as they come. And Bugatti just lost one of its coveted records: that of the fastest production car in the world. The record now lives with the Yangwang U9 Xtreme, a Chinese EV hypercar with almost 3,000 horsepower. 

The Yangwang U9 Xtreme set the record for the fastest production car ever at 308.4 mph

Back in 2019, the excessive Bugatti Chiron Super Sport did what would have been science fiction years earlier. In short, the black-and-orange hypercar sailed past 300 mph, hitting 304.77 mph at the Ehra Lessein proving grounds in Germany.

It was the first production car to cross the mighty threshold. But now, the Bugatti has lost its title. And to an electric vehicle of all things. The new record holder is the Yangwang U9 Xtreme, a 1,200-volt all-wheel drive (AWD) EV hypercar.

Yangwang, a subbrand of China’s BYD, also offers an 800-volt version of the car, but the new record-holder packs the larger architecture of the two. Altogether, peak output for the high-voltage hypercar sits at around 2,958 horsepower, enough to push the U9 Xtreme to the record of the fastest production car ever.

To break the record, the Yangwang team descended on Papenburg, Germany, and its two-and-a-half-mile straight. The U9 Xtreme, formerly the “U9 Track Edition,” hit a monstrous 308.4 mph, smashing Bugatti’s 2019 record by a little over three-and-a-half mph.

Here’s the catch, though. Bragging rights-seeking Americans are really, really unlikely to get their hands on the new record-holder. With Chinese import restrictions and tariffs in place, the country’s EVs aren’t available for mass consumer purchase on the American market. As for the U9 Xtreme, the new high-speed heavyweight is likely to cost a fortune, even without import duties.