Entering the high-end market is a dream for Chinese car companies, and Nio is the first example of initial success. Now another car company is hoping to achieve the same success, and at a higher price than Nio.
Chinese electric vehicle company Human Horizons recently announced that the founding version of its HiPhi brand, the HiPhi X model, is starting to be delivered at scale in China, with owners from 12 Chinese cities attending a vehicle delivery ceremony at its factory.
HiPhi's delivery centers in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, and Yancheng are also open for operation. The brand plans to increase its number of experience stores, delivery centers, service centers, and service outlets to 85 by the end of May and 120 within the year.
Chinese car brands have been focusing on cars priced below RMB 200,000 ($31,128). With the rapid growth of the electric vehicle industry in China, startups including Nio, Li Auto, and Xpeng are trying to hit the higher-priced market.
Among them, Nio is the car company with the most significant success in the high-end market in China, with its lowest-priced model, the Nio ES6, starting at RMB 358,000 and the higher-priced Nio ES8 SUV starting at RMB 468,000.
In contrast, Human Horizons is more ambitious, with the HiPhi X starting at RMB 570,000 for the six-seat version and up to RMB 800,000 ($124,500) for the four-seat version.
HiPhi founder and Chairman Ding Lei said, "The delivery of HiPhi X as planned is both an important milestone and a new starting point for our co-creation with our users."
When HiPhi released the HiPhi mass production final vehicle in July 2019, it was announced that it would be delivered in volume to users in mid-2021.
Since then, HiPhi has undergone "two winters and two summers" of engineering verification and testing and planned to start delivery in May 2021.
HiPhi X is positioned as a supercar SUV with dimensions of 5200*2062*1618mm and a wheelbase of 3150mm.
The car's electric suction door locks can be automatically unlocked by face recognition through the camera on the B-pillar.
HiPhi X center console has a 14.6-inch full LCD instrument, 16.9-inch central touch screen, and 19.9-inch passenger entertainment display.
In terms of power, HiPhi X is equipped with two electric motors with a maximum power of 220V and a peak torque of 410 N-m. It has a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of 3.9 seconds.
Its battery pack has a capacity of 97 kWh and an NEDC range of 550 km.
The company plans to launch 160 kWh and 120 kWh battery pack upgrades with a maximum range of 1,000 km and 800 km.
HiPhi X supports 3.5/7/11 kW AC charging, as well as DC charging with a maximum current of 250 amps, and can be charged to 80 percent in 45 minutes.
Chinese firm releases a car that costs more than Nio ES8, will the market buy it?
(Source: HiPhi )
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