We are at the start of the Chinese century. The era of American hegemony, which has ransacked and savaged many parts of the world for over 100 years and brought very little peace, is fading. China is slowly taking over, not with militarism but with the Renminbi. In the future, the world reserve currency may well flip to trading in the Yuan currency. China is advancing at a rapid pace economically and technologically. The Chinese car industry doesn’t suffer from that of its European counterparts where the ICE engine legacy mindset halts progression. China is investing in electric cars more rapidly and will become the world leader in electric vehicles.
Human Horizons is an example of how quickly China can scale an electric car from startup to production ready in five years. HiPhi is its luxury EV brand and the HiPhi X is the company’s luxury SUEV. Contrast this dynamic with, for example, Land Rover, and you can see how far ahead the Chinese mentality is.
The race is on for the electric car era, while Europe procrastinates on extending the age of the ICE engine, China is racing ahead with developing EV cars and technologies. HiPhi states in its press release that the HiPhi X is “one of the best-selling luxury EVs in China”. We could not find any evidence of this statement. EV sales in China represent 22 percent of all new car sales, BYD dominates the sales charts. As of 2022, HiPhi does not register any sales.
Nevertheless, the HiPhi X is coming to Europe and will feature some cool nerd tech such as programmable headlights able to project images or even movies and an intelligent automatic door system. Standard equipment includes a 17-speaker Meridian audio system, and a 19.9-inch entertainment screen purely for the front passenger.
HiPhi X is available in six-seat or even more luxurious four-seat configurations, including a smart refrigerator, 8-inch rear high-definition touch screens and fully adjustable executive airline-style seats. The HiPhi X powertrain combines 220kW dual motors front and rear, allowing for 0-62mph (100km/h) in 3.9 seconds. A 97kWh battery pack provides a lab-tested range of 650km in the Extended Range versions.
HiPhi will reveal an all-new third model, HiPhi Y at the Shanghai Auto Show on April 18. European prices and specs will be revealed in due course. Which means I don’t really know.
