BUGATTI'S claim to production car fame has not only been matched, but surpassed by a Chinese EV maker, which also took the title of fastest EV in the process.
Although there are a few asterisks to address, the feat has both introduced a new name to the top of the mass manufacturing mountain, and set a new production car speed record.
The Yangwang U9 Xtreme (U9X) achieved a new production car top speed record of 308.4 mph (496.22 kmh) at the ATP Papenburg testing facility.
Behind the wheel for the lap was German race driver Marc Basseng, a former FIA GT1 World Championship and Clio Cup Germany winner.
This eclipses the previous record set by the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ prototype in August 2019 by a winning margin of 3.6 mph over the Bugatti's 304.8 mph, driven by Le Mans winner Andy Wallace.
The U9X clocks in with 2,977 hp, more than double the 1,288 hp the anything-but-basic U9 model has, from four electric motors with each powering its own wheel.
These engines were paired with an electric architecture which allowed the U9X to become the world's first 1200-volt vehicle, significant for batteries being the limiting factor in EV power distribution rather than motors.
While the U9X has yet to enter production, Yangwang does plan to make 30 units available for sale worldwide, technically making it a production car but only by the slimmest of margins.
However, it's unknown if these 30 will be exact replicas of the record breaking EV, or if some mechanical differences will appear once they start rolling off the line.
There are also some mechanical tweaks to the specific U9 Xtreme which broke the record top speed record, such as wheels and tires which are smaller overall in size than prior models and a narrower frontend.
The run was also done on bespoke Giti semi-slick tires, which are an entirely different breed of tire from the Michelin tires used in the Bugatti's run and in most other high-speed record attempts.
The same U9X, which broke the top speed record, also set an impressive Nürburgring lap time of 6 minutes and 59.157 seconds.
However, this was not enough to get to the top of the 'Ring's leaderboards, still dominated by the Xiamoi SU7 Ultra Prototype's 6:22.091 time.
The U9X's lap time has also yet to appear on the official list of certified lap times, but it's likely to appear sooner or later considering ATP has already certified the speed record.
Since the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ is already over and done with its 30 unit production run, it's likely that the next record will be broken by a new model, regardless of which manufacturer does it.
One viable candidate for the next record is Swedish electric hypercar manufacturer Koenigsegg, which claims its Jesko Absolut has a theoretical top speed of 330.5 mph.
In January, many EV makers reported slow demand. Reuters said there are a few valid reasons for a slow in demand:
Source: Reuters
The Jesko Absolut is currently waiting on tire approval and a suitable venue to attempt the record, but is "in a very deep collaboration with Michelin" to address the former, per CarBuzz.
One other name to look out for is Hennessey, with its Venom F5 model "engineered to exceed 300 mph" per the manufacturer's official website.
While the Chiron Super Sport 300+ was the first production car to eclipse 300 mph, the first car period to do it was the Campbell-Railton Blue Bird in 1935 with a top speed of 301.337 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats.
In July, RIMAC's Nevera R achieved two dozen EV world records in a day, including the 0-400-0 test.
Italian manufacturer Pininfarina made waves in 2024 for the claim that some of its incredibly stylish hypercars were "faster than an F1 car."
Despite the myriad electric hypercars on the market and forging the path ahead, manufacturers such as Nilu27 and its creations are being called the anti-Tesla for its devotion to ICE platforms.
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