Setting the production car lap time record at the Nürburgring is a tremendous achievement for any automaker. Many of them take it very seriously. And for what it’s worth, it also makes for great debate among car enthusiasts. Get ready then for some heated discussion in the coming days because an unlikely supercar has reportedly set the production car lap record around the ‘Ring with a blistering time of 6:45.9. The car in question? The NIO EP9 electric supercar.

Yes, the neophyte electric supercar from Chinese automaker NextEV is now the supposed King of the ‘Ring. Not only did its lap time lay waste to the equally debated 6:52.01 lap time of the Lamborghini Huracán Performante, it’s also a little over two seconds faster than the 6:48 lap time set by the Radical SR8LM back in 2009. To be clear, NextEV hasn’t released a video of the NIO EP9’s record-setting lap time so like everything else that largely relies on actual proof to validate its claim, it might be important to take this record with a grain of salt until NextEV has the evidence to really stake its claim as the new production car lap time record-holder at the Nürburgring. For what it’s worth though, the NIO EP9 did set the EV lap record at the same track back in November 2016 when it posted a lap time of 7:05.12. Clocking in a lap time that’s 19 seconds faster than its previous time is beyond impressive. Now, all we need is the proof that it actually did it.

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The obsession is real, so might as well show us how you did it

My skepticism surrounding the seeming over-importance automakers place on setting the Nürburgring lap time record is unlikely to change anytime soon. That said, I do appreciate the commitment these companies have in being the fastest around the track. NextEV deserves some credit for going back to the track to try to best its previous lap time, which itself was already good enough to lay claim to the title of “fastest electric car in the world.”

This new lap time record though is going to take some serious convincing. I’m not saying I don’t believe it, but the stakes are definitely higher now if the NIO EP9 did set the fastest production car lap record around the track. Depending on who you ask, that’s a record that has stood for a few months (the 6:51.01 lap time set by the Lamborghini Huracán Performante) or almost nine years (the disputed 6:48 lap time set by the Radical SR8LM). If the NIO EP9 did post a legitimate 6:45.9 lap time around the Nürburgring, it’s going to send serious shockwaves throughout the auto industry.

Note: Bugatti Chiron pictured on the left, Koenigsegg One:1 pictured on the right.

Supercar brands like Bugatti and Koenigsegg will take note of the new record. The likes of Ferrari, Porsche, Mercedes-AMG, Aston Martin, and McLaren will take note of the lap time in the development of their current and future hypercars. Heck, even electric car makers like Tesla and the myriad of automotive start-ups in this segment will be paying close attention to how the NIO EP9 posted such an incredible lap time.

I’m not throwing any shade in the company’s way because it does have a car that’s capable of posting a sub-seven-minute lap time around the ‘Ring. That’s all thanks to four high-performance electric motors that combine to produce a staggering 1,342 horsepower. That allows the EP9 to accelerate from a standstill position to 124 mph in just 7.1 seconds before maxing out at a top speed of 194 mph. Those are serious performance credentials by any imaginable metric. All we need now is actual evidence of the NIO Ep9 shattering the production lap time record at the Nürburgring. Surely, NextEV can provide that, right?

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