The NextEV NIO EP9 has proved it has the performance to match its looks by setting a new production car lap record on the German Nurburgring racetrack. The car's time around the legendary racetrack was 6m 45.9s. That's six seconds faster than the Lamborghini Huracan Performante that set a time of 6m 52.01s earlier this year. It's also faster than the NIO EP9's own 7m 05.12s lap set last year - the record for an electric car at the time. Bad weather meant the brand wanted to try again - and this time it seems to have grabbed the overall record as well. The NextEV NIO EP9 is an eye-catching car designed to build hype for the NIO brand, which will launch its first mass market electric car in China at some point in 2017. Here's the astonishing Nurburgring production car lap record by the NIO EP9. Listen to it squeal! http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/97707/nextevs-nio-ep9-all-electric-hypercar-smashes-nurburgring-record Posted by Auto Express on Tuesday, May 16, 2017 NextEV says that the EP9 is the fastest EV in the world, which the lap record lends some credence to. It will be a hypercar with motorsport right at the heart of its development, given NextEVs involvement in F1’s all-electric sibling, Formula E. • Best hypercars

0-62 mph is achieved in 2.7 seconds making it a little slower off the line than the Tesla Model S P100D, but it will hit a top speed of 194mph. The 777 volt powertrain develops 1 Megawatt of power – the equivalent of 1,341bhp - and delivers 1480Nm of torque. It all means the EP9 can do a standing quarter mile in 10.1 seconds, crossing the line at 155mph. 37 At its heart are two indirectly water cooled lithium batteries hooked up to four electric motors – one for each wheel – making the EP9 a four-wheel-drive hypercar. • Best electric cars on sale While details are still a little hazy, it’s claimed the batteries can be charged in 45 minutes. Alternatively they can also be swapped in eight minutes once the 265-mile electric range is up. The EP9 was built in Britain with a UK partner, although at this stage NIO is unwilling to reveal exactly who. It makes use of a carbon monocoque and carbon composite bodywork, but the EP9 is still a heavy car thanks to the weight of its dual-battery power supply - weighing in at 635kg. At 1,735kg in total, it weighs almost 200kg more than a LaFerrari or a McLaren P1.