HiPhi A: This 960kW Chinese super saloon can flatten 0-100km/h in two seconds
The rapid rise of the Chinese electric car industry is giving traditional automakers sleepless nights, but it’s not only the mass market that this nation aims to dominate.
Meet the HiPhi A. Looking like something out of Star Wars, this super saloon is the result of a collaboration between Chinese carmakers HiPhi and Wesail, combining the former’s motor and battery technology with elements from the latter’s Apollo hypercar project.
And the specifications are nothing short of hyper.
The ‘A’ has a tri-motor all wheel drive set-up, with a single motor upfront and two over the rear axle collectively pushing out 960kW.
That’s apparently enough to get the four-door from 0-100km/h in a shade over two seconds, and on to a top speed of 300km/h.
The motors boast an ultra-high-speed carbon-fibre rotor design, paired with full oil-cooling and magnetic cylinder coil direct cooling tech to enable running speeds of up to 22,000rpm, and the ability to run at high output for more than 30 minutes.
The vehicle has an 800 volt electrical architecture and the battery pack was developed in-house, although no range or charging details have been released as yet.
Conceived to be as agile as it is fast, the HiPhi A boasts a near-perfect 50:50 weight distribution as well as rear-wheel active steering, continuously variable damping and HiPhi’s “leading” torque vectoring control technology.
Its outlandish exterior and interior include some innovative materials too, such as industry first aircraft grade TC4 titanium alloy and nanoceramics.
"Current trends will always continue to evolve and change with the advancement of technology and the passage of time, while classic and refined luxury has an enduring appeal,” said HiPhi Founder and CEO David Ding.
“From the internal combustion engine era to the new era of intelligent electric mobility, the top hypercars should represent the pinnacle of innovative technology while still paying tribute to the classics, showcasing the transformative nature as a way to look toward the future,” the founder added.
The HiPhi A is set to be produced in limited numbers from the first quarter of 2025 onwards. International availability has yet to be announced.