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China’s HiPhi Z looks to carve its own niche in a competitive EV market (Feature)
Only the remarkable survive in China’s hyper-competitive electric vehicle sector. Amidst the price war initiated by players like Tesla, analysts have stated that some of the country’s automakers may not survive. HiPhi, a young company that has made some waves in China’s premium segment, intends to be one of the country’s prime carmakers, even after the price war.
It is then pertinent for HiPhi to ensure that its second flagship, the Z, is compelling enough that potential buyers would consider it over more established rivals. This is easier said than done. In the United States, one can see that the number of all-electric cars is steadily increasing. This situation is more pronounced in China, with 155 new battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles set to be unveiled this year alone.
HiPhi is headquartered in Shanghai, and the company launched in 2019 with the HiPhi X, an SUV. The X was quite successful, with the China Automotive Technology & Research Center noting that the all-electric SUV was one of the country’s best-selling premium EVs in 2021. The HiPhi Z is the company’s second vehicle, and it comes in the form of a shooting brake that’s available in both four-seat and five-seat configurations.
The Z is a pretty eye-catching car, with its aggressive lines and unashamedly futuristic exterior. But apart from its looks, it also has some bite. It features a total system power of 494 kW and 820 Nm of torque. The vehicle has an official 0-100km/h acceleration time of 3.8 seconds, which may seem underwhelming compared to some popular electric cars like the Model 3 Performance and Model S Plaid. But as per a longtime Tesla owner, the Z has some characteristics that warrant a serious look nonetheless.
Jason Man (known in the online electric vehicle community as Jay in Shanghai), has not only experienced Tesla’s lineup of electric cars. Being a longtime EV advocate, he has also tried out domestic electric vehicles like the NIO ET7, NIO ET5, and the ZEEKR 001. And in a conversation with Teslarati, he remarked that the HiPhi Z still stood out somewhat. It may not be as brutally quick as Tesla’s fastest cars, but it does offer something substantial to those who choose to get behind the wheel of the vehicle.
Jay was fortunate enough to take the Z around the track during the HiPhi Z Track Experience at Goldenport International Circuit in Beijing. Initially, attendees of the event were driven around the track by a professional driver, but they were also given the chance to take the Z around the track for a spin. HiPhi noted that it was still developing a dedicated Track Mode for the Z, but even as is, it was already quite capable around the track.
The longtime Tesla owner told Teslarati that the Z handled very well during its entire track run. It hugged the corners well, and it was surprisingly nimble despite its large size. Surprisingly enough, the Z was actually comfortable even at high speeds. Its ride was not harsh and NVH was also good.
“I was shocked at how well this car handles on the track. Even at the high speed section on the track, I felt fully in control of the car. It was very confident around the corners. I felt that the wider rear tires and active rear-wheel steering helped a lot with the handling, giving me excellent grip when cornering. This gave me the confidence to push the car to the limit,” the longtime EV owner said.
HiPhi has so far sold over 1,000 units of the Z this year, which is quite impressive considering that the vehicle itself sells for a premium at 610,000 yuan ($88,690). This hints that little by little, the company is establishing a presence in the Chinese market.
And just like leaders such as Tesla, it is only just getting its stride. As per the company in a comment to Teslarati, HiPhi’s next project is its most ambitious project yet: a five-seat family SUV called the HiPhi Y. That vehicle is poised to be more affordable, but the EV maker would have to dig deep to compete in that segment. China’s premium SUV segment, after all, is already home to another “Y” — the Tesla Model Y, which is one of the country’s best-selling premium SUVs.
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Tesla has adjusted the functionality of a crucial climate feature as Winter weather has started to arrive throughout some parts of the United States. The new feature was highly requested by owners.
Tesla has a Cabin Overheat Protection feature that helps keep the temperature regulated if it reaches a certain threshold. Inversely, it can be used in cold weather as well, which will automatically warm the cabin if it sinks to a temperature that is too low for the owner’s comfort.
This is a great way to keep the cabin either warmed up just enough or cooled down just enough so that it never gets too hot or too cold. Extreme temperatures could damage certain parts of the vehicle or damage personal belongings that are kept inside the car.
Overheat protection is a great thing to have in hot climates like Arizona or Texas, especially with the Premium trims of the Model 3 and Model Y, which feature a glass roof.
Many owners appreciate the feature, but they argue that using it at home will utilize too much energy, especially during extreme temperatures. For a while, many Tesla fans have requested an option to disable this feature when the car is parked at home, which the company recently added, according to Not a Tesla App.
The feature is part of Software Version 2025.44.3, and the release notes state:
“You can now choose Exclude Home when Cabin Overheat Protection or No A/C is enabled.”
Tesla has been great at listening to what owners want with new features, and this is one that will reserve some charge and prevent unnecessary utilization of available power, especially as the car is parked at home. If owners want to condition the cabin or get the car ready for operation with a comfortable interior, they can utilize the Tesla app to adjust the climate.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed today on the social media platform X that legacy automakers, such as Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis, do not want to license the company’s Full Self-Driving suite, at least not without a long list of their own terms.
“I’ve tried to warn them and even offered to license Tesla FSD, but they don’t want it! Crazy,” Musk said on X. “When legacy auto does occasionally reach out, they tepidly discuss implementing FSD for a tiny program in 5 years with unworkable requirements for Tesla, so pointless.”
I’ve tried to warn them and even offered to license Tesla FSD, but they don’t want it! Crazy …
When legacy auto does occasionally reach out, they tepidly discuss implementing FSD for a tiny program in 5 years with unworkable requirements for Tesla, so pointless. 🤷♂️
🦕 🦕
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 24, 2025
Musk made the remark in response to a note we wrote about earlier today from Melius Research, in which analyst Rob Wertheimer said, “Our point is not that Tesla is at risk, it’s that everybody else is,” in terms of autonomy and self-driving development.
Wertheimer believes there are hundreds of billions of dollars in value headed toward Tesla’s way because of its prowess with FSD.
A few years ago, Musk first remarked that Tesla was in early talks with one legacy automaker regarding licensing Full Self-Driving for its vehicles. Tesla never confirmed which company it was, but given Musk’s ongoing talks with Ford CEO Jim Farley at the time, it seemed the Detroit-based automaker was the likely suspect.
Tesla’s Elon Musk reiterates FSD licensing offer for other automakers
Ford has been perhaps the most aggressive legacy automaker in terms of its EV efforts, but it recently scaled back its electric offensive due to profitability issues and weak demand. It simply was not making enough vehicles, nor selling the volume needed to turn a profit.
Musk truly believes that many of the companies that turn their backs on FSD now will suffer in the future, especially considering the increased chance it could be a parallel to what has happened with EV efforts for many of these companies.
Unfortunately, they got started too late and are now playing catch-up with Tesla, XPeng, BYD, and the other dominating forces in EVs across the globe.
Tesla is backtracking on a strange adjustment it made to its in-car Navigation feature after numerous complaints from owners convinced the company to make a change.
Tesla’s in-car Navigation is catered to its vehicles, as it routes Supercharging stops and preps your vehicle for charging with preconditioning. It is also very intuitive, and features other things like weather radar and a detailed map outlining points of interest.
However, a recent change to the Navigation by Tesla did not go unnoticed, and owners were really upset about it.
For trips that required multiple Supercharger stops, Tesla decided to implement a naming change, which did not show the city or state of each charging stop. Instead, it just showed the business where the Supercharger was located, giving many owners an unwelcome surprise.
However, Tesla’s Director of Supercharging, Max de Zegher, admitted the update was a “big mistake on our end,” and made a change that rolled out within 24 hours:
The naming change should have happened at once, instead of in 2 sequential steps. That was a big miss on our end. We do listen to the community and we do course-correct fast. The accelerated fix rolled out last night. The Tesla App is updated and most in-car touchscreens should…
— Max (@MdeZegher) November 20, 2025
The lack of a name for the city where a Supercharging stop would be made caused some confusion for owners in the short term. Some drivers argued that it was more difficult to make stops at some familiar locations that were special to them. Others were not too keen on not knowing where they were going to be along their trip.
Tesla was quick to scramble to resolve this issue, and it did a great job of rolling it out in an expedited manner, as de Zegher said that most in-car touch screens would notice the fix within one day of the change being rolled out.
Additionally, there will be even more improvements in December, as Tesla plans to show the common name/amenity below the site name as well, which will give people a better idea of what to expect when they arrive at a Supercharger.
Tesla adjusts crucial feature as winter weather arrives
Tesla CEO Elon Musk sends rivals dire warning about Full Self-Driving
