The All-New HiPhi A Looks Like a Serious Threat to the Tesla Model S Plaid

The model looks daring and futuristic, just like concept cars do. But what you are looking at is the production variant. But this is what HiPhi does. When they displayed their lineup at the Munich airport during the IAA Mobility show, they put signs next to them indicating that they were not just concept cars, but actual production models, ready to be sold.

The HiPhi A was not there, but it will be on display at the Guangzhou Auto Show in China, where it will make its public debut on November 17.

The super sedan was developed in partnership with Apollo Automobil, a German sports car manufacturer headquartered in Denkendorf and founded by Roland Gumpert, the one who was director of Audi Sport. That speaks volumes about the plans that HiPhi has. Furthermore, David Ding, the founder and CEO of HiPhi, calls it "a true work of art for the new era."

The model is a four-door, four-seat sedan with suicide doors, powered by three electric motors, each delivering 320 kW (429 horsepower / 435 PS) for a total of 960 kW (1,287 horsepower / 1,305 PS).

That is more than what the Tesla Model S Plaid and the Lucid Air Sapphire can do. The Model S Plaid comes with 1,006 horsepower (1,020 PS), while the Air Sapphire benefits from the presence of 1,111 horsepower (1,126 PS).

The HiPhi A is lightning fast: it takes 2.0 seconds to hit 62 mph (100 kph) from a standstill, and the top speed is capped at 186 mph (300 kph). Tesla mentions a run from 0 to 60 mph (0 to 97 kph) in 1.99 seconds. So, once the A sedan starts deliveries, it probably won’t take long before we get to it on the drag strip right next to the Model S Plaid in the 'moment of truth' confrontation.

The model will get aluminum wheels, carbon-ceramic brakes, and several other components made of lightweight materials, such as the TC4 titanium and nano-ceramics. There will be cameras instead of the side mirrors, with the images they capture displayed on screens mounted inside the cabin next to the A-pillars.

The A is built on an 800-volt architecture, but there is no information available about the battery pack, range, and charging speed. We are probably going to get all the details closer to the date of the market launch.

The Chinese EV will enter production next year, and deliveries are set to start in early 2025 in China. However, Human Horizons is planning to send the model to markets around the world. HiPhi is already present on the European market, with its lineup being available in Germany.

The portfolio of the brand includes the HiPhi X and Y SUVs, plus the HiPhi Z shooting brake. WIth the X, Y, and Z already in use, the carmaker must have run out of letters and had to start the alphabet from the top with the newly introduced A sedan. So seems that it is pretty easy to guess that the next model coming from the brand will be called the HiPhi B.