China's Human Horizons' wild electric sedan, HiPhi Z, nears production

A Chinese electric vehicle startup named Human Horizons this week unveiled a production version of the HiPhi Z concept, which was first unveiled last fall.

The HiPhi Z will be the second Human Horizons vehicle to go into production later this year; the HiPhi X crossover, first teased for 2019 by the HiPhi 1 concept, went into production last year.

The HiPhi Z is a 198-inch-long, four-passenger electric sedan with a 120-kilowatt-hour battery and a range of over 400 miles, Human Horizons claims. The company did not reveal what powertrain options will be available, but did reveal that the most powerful setup will accelerate from 0-62 mph in 3.8 seconds.

The HiPhi Z will be positioned as a premium product and will feature top-of-the-line equipment, including a 23-speaker Meridian audio system, Nappa leather trim, and electronic driver assistance features utilizing 34 sensors, including Lidar. There is also a floating infotainment screen mounted on what the company calls an "eight-way, infinitely adjustable, fast-moving robotic arm."

This robotic arm will allow the screen to move to improve interaction with the occupants. All of this is controlled by an AI system known as the HiPhi Bot, which, according to Human Horizons, is nearly silent and can move back and forth in place in less than a second. The control accuracy of the arm is said to be 0.001 mm.

Human Horizons plans to provide an update on the market launch of HiPhi Z at the 2022 Chengdu Motor Show in August and has already confirmed a starting price of about 600,000 yuan (about $89,525).