The Tesla Roadster is still not here, this Chinese rival is taking its place in style

With its 1240 horsepower, the Chinese hypercar Hyperion SSR has enough to compete with the Rimac Nevera. Because that’s it, the first deliveries are taking place. When the Tesla Roadster is more of a myth.

The battle of electric hypercars will surely take place. A day. As has been the case with thermal vehicles for decades with a real race for power and performance. Yes, except that for the moment one of the stars, the Tesla Roadster (second generation), is still missing.

Presented in 2017, supposed to arrive in 2020, it has since been tirelessly postponed. The latest news is that it will arrive in 2024. Moreover, if it can reassure those who despair of seeing it one day on the road, it can still be booked on the Tesla configurator. We hold on to what we can.

However, during this time, the way is clear for actors who are a little less expected. At least on our side of the planet. Because on its territory, in China, GAC is one of the largest automobile sellers, and owns several brands including Aio and its Hyper SSR of more than 1000 horsepower which is arriving on the road in the Middle Kingdom. And her performances have nothing to envy of the American Arlesian.

100 km/h in less than 2 seconds

SSR. Three letters for an acronym that needs no translation: Super, Sport, Race. An entire program ! And indeed, you only need to look at the technical sheet and the performance figures to see that there is currently not much faster on the planet.

The three engines of the Hyper SSR deliver no less than 1,224 horsepower (900 kW), for a torque announced at 12,000 Nm. Enough to go from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.3 seconds. Well, this is for the “base” variant, because the two most efficient versions go below two seconds. 1.9 seconds to reach 100 km/h.

Even the future Tesla Roadster is beaten since it announces a 0 to 100 km/h in “only” 2.1 seconds. Exactly like the Tesla Model S Plaid that we already see on our roads.

And to drive the point home a little further, these are not the only figures for the Ain Hyper SSR to make more than one competitor pale, since the charging speed is announced at 480 kW thanks to 900 volt technology.

An unbeatable price

Obviously, to display such performance, you have to pay the price. And this Hyper SSR is not cheap. All things considered, however. The standard SSR is in fact offered at 1.286 million yuan, the equivalent at the current exchange rate of 166,568 euros. Here are the prices of the different versions:

SSR: 1,286,000 yuan/166,568 euros;
SSR Sprint: 1,386,000 yuan/179,487 euros;
SSR Ultimate: 1,686,000 yuan/218,338 euros.

That said, you just have to look at electric hypercars which offer services similar to those of the Hyper SSR to realize that the latter does not charge much for its services. Count on 2 million euros to treat yourself to a 1900 horsepower Pininfarina Battista whose 0 to 100 km/h is achieved in as little time as the Hyper SSR. As for the Rimac Nevera, it is approximately the same price as the Battista, and the same performance on the 100 km/h standing start exercise.

rimac-nevera-production-ev-top-speed-record

Still, the Tesla Roadster is the least expensive: 44,000 euros. At least that’s what you’ll have to pay within 10 days if you place an order. But the final price is not that far from the Chinese hypercar since it is 172,000 euros.

Aion, a brand to watch

If for the moment, Aion is not intended to arrive on our European market like other Chinese manufacturers (MG, NIO, BYD, Xpeng, etc.), the brand offers other rather interesting high-end models. Like this Hyper GT sedan that we presented to you a few months ago, with its elytron doors at the front and which features one of the most aerodynamic bodies in the world (Cd of 0.19).