Here’s a pause for thought: do you know what the fastest thing on Earth is? It’s us—humans—and pretty much everything else that exists on the planet. We live on Earth (a revelation, of course), but our planet is actually moving at around 67,000 mph as it orbits the Sun. Meanwhile, the Sun and the entire solar system are travelling at about 450,000 mph as they orbit the Milky Way—a journey that takes roughly 230 million years to complete.

I don’t know about you, but that’s pretty darn fast. Bearing that in mind, do global speed runs actually matter? Yes—if you’re a car manufacturer that has just set a new top-speed record, because it gives you something the universe and interstellar space can’t provide: bragging rights. In effect, it means your car is going faster than 67,000 mph.

And the new speed record bragging rights belong to YANGWANG, BYD’s luxury sub-brand, which has set a new global production-car speed record of 496.22 km/h (308.4 mph) with its U9 Xtreme (U9X) hypercar at Germany’s ATP Papenburg test track on September 14, 2025.

This makes the U9X not only the fastest electric vehicle ever but also the fastest production car in the world, surpassing both EV and petrol-powered rivals.

The U9X, is limited to 30 examples, costs $200,000 and features a 1200V ultra-high-voltage powertrain, a 30C lithium iron phosphate Blade Battery, four high-speed motors producing over 3000 PS, semi-slick tyres, and an advanced suspension system.