Introducing HiPhi, the Chinese luxury car brand that is making waves in the domestic market and is now setting its sights on Europe. With two established models already claiming 25% of the luxury EV segment in China, HiPhi is on the cusp of launching its third model, the HiPhi Z, in Europe in 2023. This all-electric, four-door shooting brake GT boasts 663bhp, an electric range of nearly 350 miles, and a design that is part Japanese manga performance aggression, part BMW i-brand tribute act, and part love song to digital technology.

Design and Technology

The HiPhi Z is a five-metre long car that leans heavily on digital technology and double-take styling. Covered in flashing LED light strips and bulky sensors, it looks like a transformer toy that has been blown up to full life size. The interior is equally tech-heavy, with a 15.0in touchscreen infotainment system called the HiPhi Bot mounted on a robotised arm that automatically pivots towards the driver or front passenger when it senses that they are looking at it. The system has great responsiveness and clarity, but its inclusion is typical of a car that does digital tech to excess.

On the road, the HiPhi Z is fast, genuinely rangey, and commendably refined. It has the polished plushness of feel that you might expect from a luxury car brand with more experience. However, it doesn’t seem to have a surfeit of handling dynamism. While adaptive air suspension and four-wheel steering make it wieldy when manoeuvring and controlled in its handling at speed, it doesn’t feel especially agile or entertaining. The firm admits that it isn’t aiming to beat the very best-handling GTs on the market with this car, but it could have been slightly bolder with its electronic chassis calibration.

Market Positioning

HiPhi’s audience in China is younger buyers who are now preferring Huawei electronics to Apple. They are realising that the old ‘west is best’ mentality on luxury goods needn’t apply anymore. HiPhi’s ambition was always to be a proper global brand, and that’s where it’s going. The HiPhi X crossover SUV, introduced in China in 2021, will lead a European sales bid that is likely to remain small in volume, at least until the cheaper HiPhi Y arrives in a few years. The HiPhi Z, the newer of the two European debut models, was only launched in China last year and is the more eye-catching prospect.

Conclusion

HiPhi is an accomplished luxury car brand from a young Chinese company that leans heavily on digital tech and double-take styling. It has already claimed 25% of the luxury EV segment in China with its two established models and is now setting its sights on Europe. The HiPhi Z, with its eye-catching design and tech-heavy interior, is likely to turn heads when it launches in Europe in 2023. However, without all that digital tech and statement styling, it remains to be seen whether the HiPhi Z would have anything else to make it stand out.