Luxury Chinese electric-car start-up unveils wild 960kW sedan
The HiPhi A is a high-performance electric sedan with three motors and a claimed 0-100km/h time of two seconds – rivalling the fastest supercars.
Chinese electric-car start-up HiPhi has unveiled a high-performance battery-powered sedan, with wild aerodynamics and 960kW – and it could one day come to Australia.
Revealed ahead of the upcoming Guangzhou motor show, the HiPhi A is the fourth model from the Chinese company, which aims to bypass the less expensive end of the electric-car market and go directly to customers in search of luxury and high performance models.
Based on the already-released HiPhi Z, the A takes the electric sedan to new extremes with its imposing front bumper canards and large rear wing – though under the skin it has received further improvements to back up its performance appearance.
While the HiPhi Z is powered by two electric motors – one powering each axle at the front and rear – the HiPhi A gains a second motor at the back, with a claimed output of 960kW delivered to all four wheels.
According to HiPhi, the A can accelerate from 0-100km/h in little more than two seconds before reaching a top speed of approximately 290km/h.
Additional changes compared to the Z include rear-wheel steering, carbon-ceramic brakes and adjustable dampers (on top of air suspension) – which are combined with a claimed 50:50 weight distribution.
The HiPhi A was developed with assistance from German firm Apollo Automobil, famous for the Gumpert Apollo which briefly held the Nürburgring lap record for production cars as well as being featured on Top Gear in the late 2000s.
Though it has not yet been confirmed, the HiPhi A could eventually be sold in Australia, after the Chinese company announced it would start selling its vehicles in the UK – another right-hand-drive market – by 2026.
HiPhi will publicly reveal the A at this week’s Guangzhou motor show in China.