Chine
HiPhi
HiPhi is a Chinese automaker of high-end electric vehicles, owned by the Human Horizons group. The company was founded in August 2017 in Shanghai by Ding Lei, a seasoned executive in the Chinese auto industry. A physics graduate of Fudan University, Ding Lei had begun his career at Shanghai Volkswagen in 1988 before holding management positions within the SAIC group, notably as vice-president and general manager of Shanghai General Motors. The name "HiPhi" derives from the expression "high integration," reflecting the founder's ambition of advanced technological integration. The first model, the HiPhi X, was unveiled on July 31, 2019, and subsequently sold as a large luxury electric SUV. For production, Human Horizons entered into a manufacturing agreement in 2019 with the Yueda group (Dongfeng Yueda Kia) to assemble its vehicles at the Yancheng plant in Jiangsu province. The lineup expanded with the HiPhi Z, a sporty shooting brake, followed by the HiPhi Y, a more affordable crossover SUV. The brand positioned itself in the technological-luxury niche and made a few inroads into Europe. However, weakened by high costs and an ultra-competitive Chinese market, the company suspended production indefinitely in February 2024 for financial reasons, soon able to pay only base salaries. In August 2024, a court in Yancheng accepted a pre-restructuring petition, the company being insolvent, with its liabilities exceeding its assets. In May 2025, the Lebanese manufacturer EV Electra injected 100 million dollars into HiPhi, becoming the majority shareholder with 69.8% of the shares, with Human Horizons retaining 30.2%, in a bid to restart manufacturing. HiPhi never had a sales network or commercial presence in North America; the vehicles found in Quebec therefore come from private importation or isolated cases.
Historique / disparueÉlectrique / hybrideCamion / utilitaireChinoises
History
History of HiPhi
HiPhi is a Chinese automaker of high-end electric vehicles, owned by the Human Horizons group. The company was founded in August 2017 in Shanghai by Ding Lei, a seasoned executive in the Chinese auto industry. A physics graduate of Fudan University, Ding Lei had begun his career at Shanghai Volkswagen in 1988 before holding management positions within the SAIC group, notably as vice-president and general manager of Shanghai General Motors. The name "HiPhi" derives from the expression "high integration," reflecting the founder's ambition of advanced technological integration. The first model, the HiPhi X, was unveiled on July 31, 2019, and subsequently sold as a large luxury electric SUV. For production, Human Horizons entered into a manufacturing agreement in 2019 with the Yueda group (Dongfeng Yueda Kia) to assemble its vehicles at the Yancheng plant in Jiangsu province. The lineup expanded with the HiPhi Z, a sporty shooting brake, followed by the HiPhi Y, a more affordable crossover SUV. The brand positioned itself in the technological-luxury niche and made a few inroads into Europe. However, weakened by high costs and an ultra-competitive Chinese market, the company suspended production indefinitely in February 2024 for financial reasons, soon able to pay only base salaries. In August 2024, a court in Yancheng accepted a pre-restructuring petition, the company being insolvent, with its liabilities exceeding its assets. In May 2025, the Lebanese manufacturer EV Electra injected 100 million dollars into HiPhi, becoming the majority shareholder with 69.8% of the shares, with Human Horizons retaining 30.2%, in a bid to restart manufacturing. HiPhi never had a sales network or commercial presence in North America; the vehicles found in Quebec therefore come from private importation or isolated cases.
Public founding or origin of HiPhi.
Technologies
Technologies, innovations and platforms
HiPhi built its reputation around advanced technological integration. Its vehicles are fully battery-electric, with single-motor (rear-wheel-drive) or dual-motor (all-wheel-drive) architectures delivering high power outputs, fed by large batteries (around 97 to 120 kWh depending on the model). The brand showcases a centralized domain-based electronic architecture, drawing on hundreds of sensors and controllers incorporating artificial intelligence to support driver assistance. Among its technological signatures are the contactless power doors (motorized opening doors, including gullwing-style elements), programmable matrix lighting (PML) and, on the HiPhi Z, the "HiPhi Bot," a multi-axis robotic arm for infotainment. The platforms of the X, the Z and the Y are largely shared.
Brand image
Identity, reputation, strengths and weaknesses
Positioning
A Chinese brand of technological-luxury electric vehicles, with a precarious future and no official presence in North America.
Reputation
HiPhi drew attention for its bold design and spectacular innovations rather than for a long track record of reliability, the brand being too new and too low in volume to judge. Reviews praised the technology and the styling boldness, while noting on-road behavior marked by weight and a high price (starting at around 100,000 euros in Europe). Resale value is highly uncertain due to the 2024 production halt, the insolvency proceedings and the absence of an after-sales network outside China, which complicates maintenance and parts.
Strengths
Distinctive and technically ambitious design, cutting-edge equipment (power doors, matrix lighting, multiple screens, robotic arm), high power outputs and large batteries delivering solid performance, and a luxury-oriented finish. The brand demonstrated a real capacity for innovation and an unapologetically upscale positioning in the Chinese EV market.
Points to watch
An uncertain future marked by the 2024 production halt and insolvency proceedings, despite EV Electra's rescue. A complete absence of a sales and service network in North America, which makes maintenance, parts and warranty problematic in Quebec. Very low volume, high prices, resale value difficult to establish, and long-term reliability unproven.
Models
HiPhi models
Current or active models by market
Production and compatibility
Plants, tires and wheels
Production
HiPhi's production is concentrated in China, at the Yancheng plant (Jiangsu province), operated under a manufacturing agreement with the Yueda group (Dongfeng Yueda Kia). It was there that the HiPhi X, Z and Y were assembled. Manufacturing was suspended indefinitely in February 2024 due to financial difficulties, before EV Electra's 2025 investment aimed at restarting it. HiPhi has no plant or industrial presence in North America, and never established an official distribution network there; its reach remained centered on China with a few attempts in Europe.
Tires and wheels
HiPhi vehicles are large, heavy electric models fitted with large-diameter wheels, typically 21 or 22 inches; the HiPhi X, for example, comes with 255/45R22 tires. These dimensions call for tires with a high load rating and speed index, suited to the weight of EVs. As with any high-end EV in Quebec, a set of certified winter tires (3PMSF symbol) is strongly recommended, ideally on dedicated smaller-diameter wheels to reduce costs and improve traction. Always verify the model's exact bolt pattern, offset and center bore before purchasing wheels.