The Futuristic Model 3 Rival From China - AION Hyper GT

AION's upmarket Hyper range has kicked off sales with the GT electric saloon, a dramatic, scissor-doored, ultra-slick family car. Stealing the crown of world's most aerodynamic production car from the Mercedes-Benz EQS, the Hyper GT boasts a silky smooth body, triple lidar set-up capable of Level 3 of autonomous driving, and an 800V platform with battery-swapping capability. Is it any good? We took it for a spin.
Coming to Australia in 2024.
#china #chinacar #chinesecars #electriccar #evs #autonomouscars #autonomousvehicles #HyperGT #gacmotor

[@InsideChinaAuto]

12:54 Update: The AdiGo ADAS system was updated to the production version of the system on July 31st which I'm informed has corrected the abrupt lane changes.

[@senseihEnRY16]

Mercedes: a car must look like a melted blob to have low CoD AION: hold my scissor door While it's still not as good looking as sedans from Nio or Xpeng, it still looks better than the EQS.

[@InsideChinaAuto]

Couldn't agree more. Mercedes has lost its way on EVs.

[@simpletrailers1161]

wish we could get our hands on these amazing vehicles from china

[@InsideChinaAuto]

I hope it comes out of China too. This one is a peach.

[@ianpolo5673]

I wished that too. In fact, I wished to be in China now to experience all these cars.

[@InsideChinaAuto]

@ianpolo5673 Can't deny that the fruits of this automotive market are very sweet indeed. Hopefully not too long before you get them too.

[@turbosalsa]

👍🏽😀Great review keep it up there are some amazing cars coming out of China lets hope this one comes to the UK soon. Beautiful, sleek styling. Love it❤

[@InsideChinaAuto]

Yeah, really hope this one comes out of China like some other AIONs have. I was honestly quite surprised how much I liked this.

[@turbosalsa]

😀The Chinese EV car brands are knocking out of the park when it comes to styling & features. NiO, Xpeng, Aion, Hiphi,. BYD, Much better than the European EV’s & Tesla. when are they coming to the UK ? 👍🏽😃

[@InsideChinaAuto]

They're doing some amazing stuff. That's what competition gets you. No idea on UK sales, if ever, but they do export their other cars to other markets so there's hope!

[@davidherringgo]

Excellent review of an amazing car, thank you.

[@InsideChinaAuto]

Glad you liked it David. I really enjoyed driving this one.

[@ianpolo5673]

China made cars these days rock my world. They are stylish, fresh and exciting too!

[@InsideChinaAuto]

They're bloody incredible. Nobody could have predicted this 10 years ago, even 5 would be pushing it but here we are.

[@ianpolo5673]

@@InsideChinaAuto Yes indeed. 10 years ago, Chinese made cars were crap but today they really make impressive cars.

[@possumsam2189]

@@InsideChinaAuto Tbh, it all began a decade ago with the launch of the Haval H6 and the (failed) launch of the Haval H8. That was also the year that the First-gen BYD Qin was launched on the market. The Israeli-Chery Joint Venture, Qoros got the highest marks of safety for the Euro-NCAP and failed to achieve success in the European market. 2017/2018 was when the Chinese automotive industry caught up in a major way and their progress kicked into overdrive. 2020 was when they started over-taking all the major car makes, esp. in the PHEV/EV market. And now we are in 2023, when they had started leading the industry and got the Legacy Japanese/Korean/American/Euro Automakers running scared.

[@InsideChinaAuto]

@possumsam2189 Just goes to show what a bit of foresight and a bit of competition can do. Everyone thought they were in JVs doing nothing with their proximity to established brands. Turns out they learned what they needed and then turned to EV and just said 'see ya, we're good now, thanks'.

[@believein1]

I sincerely enjoy your content and appreciate that you are a very fair and open minded person who calls things as they are and don’t live by narratives that many try to make up about China and Chinese people. Thank you for your content. Every video is worth watching.

[@InsideChinaAuto]

Thank you so much for that lovely feedback. I try to run a non-sensationalist tone. It's good to know people appreciate it, and I really appreciate having you as a viewer.

[@TheIntelligentVehicle]

Great review, as always, thanks! Hope you get your hands on a Hyper SSR soon after it's released (perhaps too much to ask). Can't wait to hear if it's similarly impressive.

[@InsideChinaAuto]

I'm very much hoping so too. Let's see if they let me have a go, ideally on a track. It would be a waste on Shanghai or Guangzhou roads (not that I'd say no).

[@sendivogius]

Excellent video, as usual. Thank you very much for the awesome content. I really enjoy watching these technology-packed offerings from China and your on-point commentary of them. Any chance of a comparison video where you show us what are your top picks for sport sedans, for instance? Keep up the great work, mate!

[@InsideChinaAuto]

I'll see what I can do. Might have to collaborate for a comparison as it's not so easy as a one man band but let's see. Really appreciate your feedback though and your loyal viewing. Means a lot.

[@sendivogius]

@@InsideChinaAuto Yeah, totally understandable. Rather than one of those physical side-by-side comparisons where you drag race the cars and what not, you could probably start with a comparison from the studio and re-using existing footage, looking at the numbers the cars make and of course your personal experience with them. That is more kind of what I was looking for. Thanks again for all you do!

[@InsideChinaAuto]

@sendivogius Certainly seems an option. I don't have a studio yet but have been thinking of it to vary up the videos a bit.

[@hjyguyful]

Wow this one is incredible. I love it. The looks, dimension, performance, battery, everthing. I would prefer this over virtually any competition right now, though this would never be imported to my country. Its amazing how Chinese cars have leapfrogged almost any legacy carmaker.

[@InsideChinaAuto]

Yeah, I really like this one, it impressed me much more than I expected. It's on my personal consideration list for a car I liked it so much. The speed of development here is truly incredible and it's not slowing down anytime soon.

[@4literv6]

Strangely enough this gives me a lot of hope the gac aion hyper ssr 2dr will be epic when it comes out later this year. 👍🏻 Shame we won't get them over here stateside. I couldn't afford it, but I've got multiple pals who can. 😀 And 1 was openly drooling over that red with carbon fiber accents model they showed off earlier this year at the big auto show in Shanghai. Also the gac aion division is now 3rd in overall ev sales for all of China behind tesla and byd. I named them my dark horse last year and boy have they stormed out of nowhere to push the big ev dogs around. That ssr imo is a direct shot at the gen2 tesla roadster. Along with the byd yangwang u9 dancing hypercar thing.

[@InsideChinaAuto]

Yeah, they've certainly got the ability in their locker and this is a really nice car. I'm still sceptical over any of these brands' ability to really make an accomplished sports car due to their lack of history doing so, but if they get the right people tuning them then anything is possible.

[@4literv6]

@@InsideChinaAuto well said your other vid with the designer of gac was pretty good to. Have any of the Chinese evs handled as good as say a German made sports car in your view?

[@InsideChinaAuto]

@@4literv6 Honestly, probably not, simply because most are engineered to be pleasant and comfortable to drive, less strain on the driver. There are some good ones, like this, the XPeng P7, I believe the IM L7 is good too, and the Zeekr 001, but nothing has come close to the feel of the Polestar 2 yet, which was my favourite driver's car by far.

[@4literv6]

@@InsideChinaAuto interesting, personally that sexy as heck polestar 6 2dr vert gets my blood going. 😀 With the piech gt1, apex ap0, caterham project v, 2dr lotus emira ev replacement, the Porsche 2dr ev cayman&boxter, the Xiaomi sc01 2dr ev, the rumored mr2 ev, Lexus lfa replacement ev, mg cyberster and some other sporty 2dr ev coupes at slightly affordable prices? Gives me a bit of hope for where evs are headed. We just need solid state to pan out and weights to go down a bit more&prices to.😎

[@experimental_av]

I've seen both AION Hyper cars few days ago on the Bangkok Motor Show, from my understanding they plan to sell both here. Do you know the rleation between the GT and thr SSR? do they share the same platform or just the same name? Could not drive them but they looked very impressive.

[@InsideChinaAuto]

I'd be surprised if they shared a platform to be honest but there might be some shared components. The GT is very much an affordable family saloon whereas the SSR is a pretty much full-on hypercar from the sounds of it so will likely use much lighter chassis and components. GT is a real looker though, very sleek, and I loved how it drove. I hope it goes to Thailand as that will mean it is going to be RHD.

[@beta__6109]

Don't like the design. It's got the cheap sports car look which I dislike. Definitely nowhere on the level of the Xpeng P7 which is a beautifully designed car and looks even better with the scissor doors. Also feel the lamborghini doors should not be thrown onto a car that will more than likely be used as a daily driver for a family. Anyway another great review! Keep it up!

[@InsideChinaAuto]

It's quite sleek in person, though the P7 is certainly very special. I don't think you can even get this with normal doors, I'm not sure, but it's quite a cool thing to have nonetheless. Every entrance and exit is a bit dramatic, if you like that kind of thing. Appreciate the feedback on the video too, thanks a lot for watching.

[@Charchar18696]

@@InsideChinaAuto Normal doors on the model down, which is the 710 (the one you drove and reviewed is the 710-MAX, which is same as the 710, except adds the Lidar units, Adigo 5.0, 5G Connectivity). The 710 comes with normal doors, with the option to have the Butterfly doors and Rear wing, Nappa leather, Adigo 4.0.

[@InsideChinaAuto]

@@Charchar18696 Nice, thanks for the clarification. I went to their delivery centre and there wasn't a single one there with normal doors so I wasn't even sure if they came with them.

[@thtupid]

I will definitely cross shot this with the upcoming Lexus IS BEV. So long the steering wheel has electric adjustment, variable dampers and electric side mirrors!

[@InsideChinaAuto]

Definitely worth a look. I liked this a lot, the steering especially.

[@christophed4579]

Why can't European car factories develop such beautiful cars ? At an "Ok" price too like the Chinese ? It will be a "bloodbath" when these Chinese cars are largely available in Europe.

[@InsideChinaAuto]

It's a very good question. Labour costs would be one, but also they put more trust in their 3D modelling so they don't have to overengineer which can cost a lot in European cars.

[@christophed4579]

@@InsideChinaAuto what you say is very interesting, these new Chinese cars look very elegant, because they seem to apply the concept "less is better" on the design point of view, what has been forgotten by most of the European and Japanese car companies. Just have a look at the car grilles of the European SUV, ugly, because too many shapes.

[@johnsmith-cw3wo]

@@InsideChinaAuto what labour costs? BYD hired the former head designer from Audi... you bet they pay him more than Audi did to move to China, also I doubt he came alone, probably bring with him several other designers to start the team. (many other companies pay hard cash for specialists from western brands (or Japanese/Korean) to move to China) p.s. Alister Whelan was a designer for Nio, after he worked for Jaguar, Great Wall Motors, appointed former Mercedes-Benz designer Andreas Deufel as design director, Peter Horbury (From Volvo to Geely), Peter Arcadipane (From Mercedes-Benz to BAIC), Hakan Saracoglu (From Porsche to Chery), Dimitri Vicedomini (From Pininfarina to Brilliance), Chris Bangle (From BMW to Changan), Filippo Perini (From Alfa Romeo and Lamborghini to FAW), and others.... p.s.2 Talking about Aion... and GAC.... On November 1, 2021, Stephane Janin, former head of Renault's Concept Car Design Department (also worked for Nissan), officially joined GAC Design.

[@InsideChinaAuto]

@johnsmith-cw3wo Sure, they pay for the top dollar designers, but the labour costs for the factory workers and so on will still be lower because living costs are lower, and they'll make up the bulk of the overheads. Plus China has the battery supply chains so easy access and most refining is done here.

[@johnsmith-cw3wo]

@@InsideChinaAuto I know, but the discussion was why China design nicer cars than western old companies, not why they build them cheaper. 😁 also, for factory floor workers wages are lower, but once you climb the ''talent'' scale, things change... wages for TOP designers, TOP architects, TOP scientists, etc. wages are similar to the west.😇

[@randomname931]

They really should’ve partnered with nio for battery swap. Or china needs to institute a standard.

[@InsideChinaAuto]

I'm sure that will come in time. Not sure NIO want to share with anyone but they could do with the partnership.

[@peterbonnez]

An attractive car. I noticed the new apartments being built in the background. Would they have underground parking?

[@InsideChinaAuto]

Most newbuild apartments in China come with underground parking. Decent chance they'll all get AC charging ports on each space too. My compound has them.

[@peterbonnez]

@@InsideChinaAuto I meant to ask about charging too. Thanks for info, most interesting.

[@InsideChinaAuto]

@peterbonnez That's not to say every compound does, definitely not, but newer ones are being built with them. Other than that, charging is pretty ubiquitous in major cities and not bad at all even in smaller ones.

[@miguelmarques7331]

Hi! Please give me your thoughts comparing it with new Tesla Model 3 ??

[@InsideChinaAuto]

I haven't driven the latest Model 3 but certainly on looks I think it wins hands down. The Tesla will likely still win on tech and infotainment as they're pretty good at that, but I have to say I enjoyed the performance of this a lot. The steering felt precise and direct and the pace was impressive too.

[@miguelmarques7331]

@@InsideChinaAuto thanks you! Your review was impressive. Congrats! The Hyper GT is amazing design 😎 Hope it comes to EU 👍💪

[@InsideChinaAuto]

@miguelmarques7331 You're welcome. Really loved this car actually but it's so do rare to see on the road. I've seen maybe 2 since. I guess in Guangzhou there are more but other Chinese cities not so much.

[@possumsam2189]

Glad to see it lives up to the hype

[@InsideChinaAuto]

Yeah I think it does. Very pleasant surprise.

[@HuiLi-z3c]

Hey Mark, really dig into the vibe of vid. love the music, the vid editing and hands down the content rocks!!!!!!!

[@InsideChinaAuto]

Glad you like it. Have to thank the music creators for all their talent on that part.

[@yaseentv1078]

Have you tried the Human Horizons HiPhi Z? Saw Mat's review at Carwow with one in the UK. Looked inpressive

[@InsideChinaAuto]

Indeed I have. Check out the rest of our channel, we've got all the HiPhis and more.

[@I_dont_want_an_at]

I've just had a vision of a very stylish future with cool design coming out of China.

[@InsideChinaAuto]

That ain't no future mate, it's the present.

[@jameel3031]

It looks very good.

[@InsideChinaAuto]

Yeah, sexy thing this one. Love those doors.

[@jwickerszh]

Nice to know it actually drives decently, which model would you go for?

[@InsideChinaAuto]

Well for now I'd go for the bigger battery version but when the dual motor comes I'd take that. The acceleration should be insane. If you mean across the sedan space at this price point... let me get back to you. The hardest thing is choosing a winner, but I do really like this one.

[@marknorth7361]

Great video, first one I’ve seen of this car… I’m guessing that you think this is better than a Seal, Model 3 and P7? Seems GAC really stepping up these days…

[@InsideChinaAuto]

Thank you very much. We do try to get the first looks where possible. I've been chasing GAC for this one since January. I haven't driven a Seal but heard the handling was good from others. I think I'd take the Hyper GT over a Model 3 from a styling perspective but that's just me, plus there's a million Model 3s already and when I drove one it didn't give me any particularly special feeling. Aainst the P7 I think this one might edge it for me too because although I loved the P7's RWD handling, I think I prefer the steering feel of the Hyper GT. Both look stunning of course. The Seal is attractive, not 100% convinced on that interior though, so yeah, I'd probably take this one based on my experiences so far.

[@marknorth7361]

Thanks…interesting to read, probably won’t be long until there are a few more competitors, not easy to see how legacy can catch up with this speed

[@possumsam2189]

@@InsideChinaAuto The only real comparison would be between this and the Polestar, not Tesla.

[@InsideChinaAuto]

@possumsam2189 You mean the Polestar 2? I don't really see this as a similar car, much lower, much sleeker and smarter, though the Polestar remains head and shoulders above others on driving feel and enjoyment. This was good but in a much more delicate way.

[@I_dont_want_an_at]

nice

[@InsideChinaAuto]

It really is.

[@a_demain]

F=ma. Large and Heavy Electric cars, on in fact any cars. Please no. Smaller and beautiful instead please.

[@InsideChinaAuto]

I dunno, I think this looks pretty good.