The record attempt was completed during the Southern California Timing Association’s famous Speed Week event, where cars from all over the world are brought to test their top speed on the flat salt pan. Motoring journalist Carlos Lago of Motor Trend magazine drove the car during the event.

To achieve the high top speed, the Jetta Hybrid’s 1.4-litre TSI petrol engine and 27bhp electric motor were modified by Volkswagen R&D in Wolfsburg, Germany. Modifications to the rest of the car were carried out by Californian tuning companies A-Salt Racing and Advanced Product Engineering, as well as by Volkswagen USA.

Marc Trahan, executive vice president, group quality, commented: ‘It was a real challenge to integrate the complex hybrid elements and generate the power needed to run at these speeds. The Jetta Hybrid Land Speed Record project shows both the sporty nature of our Hybrid offering and the technical excellence of our engineers in Wolfsburg and in the Test Center California.’