1,287 HP HiPhi A Thinks The Model S Plaid Is All Go And Not Enough Show | Carscoops

Chinese EV makes its debut at this week’s Guangzhou Auto Show and promises a 2-second zero to 62 mph time

by Chris Chilton

November 15, 2023 at 08:32

If the first wave of EVs this century hid their combustion-humbling performance potential under sleeper skins, the latest generation is making up for it. This is the HiPhi A, a Chinese EV that isn’t just lightning fast, but looks it even when it’s standing still.

You might recognize the basic shape from the HiPhi Z liftback sedan unveiled by Human Horizons last year. But the A ramps up both the power and the visual aggression in equal measure to deliver a tri-motor monster that makes a Model S Plaid look as exciting as a used Camry.

The A uses its single rear motor and dual fronts to spread a total of 1,287 hp (1,305 PS) between all four wheels, which makes it almost twice as powerful as the 662 hp (670 PS) dual-motor Z it’s based on. And instead of taking 3.8 seconds to reach 62 mph (100 km/h), the A can get there in just over 2 seconds, so should be a good match for a Tesla Model S Plaid in a drag race, Tesla quoting 1.99 seconds to 60 mph (97 kmh). The Plaid would win if the road was long enough though, its 200 mph (320 km/h) top speed besting the Z’s 186 mph (300 km/h) top end by some margin, though almost no owners of either car will see those speeds in real life.

Related: HiPhi Z And HiPhi X Put Up A Strong Fight Against Porsche Taycan And BMW iX

HiPhi, which says the four-door supercar is the result of collaboration with WESAIL New Energy Automotive, has equipped the A with rear-wheel steering, adaptive damping, and torque-vectoring capabilities, and claims corning and braking performance is up 15 percent and 10 percent over the less extreme Z. The already arresting body is made even more eye-catching with the addition of a large rear wing, wider wheels and tires, matte paint, and generous helpings of carbon fiber trim.

There’s no word on prices at this stage, or whether the model will come to Europe, where HiPhi intends to sell the regular Z and its X SUV, but Chinese buyers can probably expect to pay high-end Porsche Taycan money when it does go on sale.