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A new Chinese electric vehicle has become the "world's fastest production car" with top speeds of over 300mph. YANGWANG, BYD's flagship premium brand, secured the honour after their new U9 Xtreme hypercar delivered a speed 3.6mph faster than the former title holder, the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+.

The U9 Xtreme clocked a staggering 496.22km/h, or 308.4mph, at the Papenburg test track in Germany. The model is yet to launch in the UK and Europe, but is set to be released on a limited production run. Officials have confirmed that "no more" than 30 customer cars will be produced, making it one of the rarest models on the market. In comparison, the fastest Ferrari on the road, the Ferrari SF90 Stradale, has a top speed of just 211mph.

BYD Executive Vice President Stella Li said: "This is an incredibly proud moment for everyone in the research and development division. 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 like the U9X."

The U9 Xtreme model can produce a staggering 2,978bhp, more than double the regular U9's 1,288bhp. The model is also fitted with BYD's Blade Battery technology, as well as four electric motors.

The car was put through its paces by former endurance racing star and FIA GT1 champion Marc Basseng.

After getting behind the wheel, Marc 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."

He added: "With this car, since it's an electric car, you can concentrate fully on driving and don't have to pay attention to gear change speeds or temperatures, which means there are certain distractions that don't occur when driving.

"As an example, in a combustion-engined car, the typical gear-change jolts and load changes can affect your concentration. This isn't an issue in an EV like the U9 Xtreme."

A price tag has yet to be confirmed, but it is set to be more expensive than the standard YANGWANG U9, which has a valuation of £200,000.