Ferrari-slaying Aion Hyper SSR firms for Oz

The show-stopping Aion Hyper SSR is claimed to hit 100km/h in just 1.9 seconds, has carbon-ceramic brakes, power-operated dihedral doors and an bona-fide exotic look.

And the cheek-rippling, 900kW hypercar could soon be cruising down Aussie boulevards and blasting around local racetracks in factory-backed right-hand drive (RHD) form.

“Actually we are making right-hand drive [vehicles] for the Thailand customers,” a company spokesman told carsales at last week’s 2024 Beijing motor show, confirming that the Aion Hyper SSR will be manufactured at GAC Motor’s new Thailand production facility in Rayong.

“It will be sold in Thailand – we’ve already got 20-plus orders from Thai customers,” confirmed the spokesman, adding that more export markets could be added in future for the AWD hypercar, which is priced from around $270,000 in China.

The executive we spoke to in Beijing wouldn’t be drawn on plans to offer the Hyper SSR in other RHD markets, but he wouldn’t rule out potential exports to Australia from the Thai factory.

“Right now lots of Chinese brands are looking at export markets like Australia,” he stated.

“Our export markets are Russia, Thailand and the Middle East – for now.”

However, as revealed by Whichcar, GAC will launch its Aion brand in Australia in 2025 with the Aion V small electric SUV, potentially opening the flood gates for several other GAC/Aion models to be released here.

Aion Australia will take care of Aion distribution in Australia, the Aion V expected to lay the groundwork for more models – such as the flagship Aion Hyper SSR – to roll into local showrooms.

The Thai factory will be GAC’s first manufacturing plant outside China. Construction will conclude in 2024 and vehicle manufacturing will commence in 2025.

If Aussie sales are green-lit, SSR deliveries wouldn’t occur until at least 2026.

However, the RHD production in Thailand could open the door for other cheaper Aion EVs to arrive Down Under sooner than the SSR – and at potentially very competitive price points, given the proximity of the Asian nation and its free trade agreement with Australia.

China’s answer to the record-breaking Rimac Nevera comes in three flavours – fast, faster and fastest.

The Aion Hyper SSR starts at 1,286,000 yuan in China, the equivalent of around $A270,000, undercutting (and outpacing) the cheapest Porsche 911 available in Australia.

The mid-spec Hyper SSR Speed is available for 1,386,000 yuan ($A290,000) and the range-topping be-winged Hyper SSR Ultimate Track is pegged at 1,686,000 yuan ($A360,000).

Powered by a trio of electric motors – two on the front axle, one at the rear – the Hyper SSR is relatively light for an electric hypercar, with extensive use of carbon-fibre body work lowering the kerb weight to about 2000kg.

The dual front e-motors and large rear electric motor generate a combined 900kW or 1224hp, along with a spleen-popping 1230Nm of torque.

Equipped with all-wheel drive, the entry-level Hyper SSR claims a 0-100km/h acceleration time of 2.3 seconds, while the top-spec Hyper SSR Ultimate Track is claimed to hit 100km/h in a mind-melting 1.9sec.

It’s not as terrifyingly fast as the wild Lotus Evija but nor does it cost $3.5 million and is not completely sold out.

Top speed is limited to 250km/h and, when driven gently, the Chinese car-maker reckons the Hyper SSR will cover just over 500km before its 75kWh battery is drained.

“We put the battery in the middle [of the car], nice and low,” said the company rep, explaining that the vehicle’s exotic design also delivers ‘outstanding’ handling dynamics and plenty of downforce.

“We’ve got four modes: street mode, comfort mode, sports mode and the professional mode, but the last mode has to be on the racetrack,” he cautioned.

The Hyper SSR rides on 20-inch alloy wheels all round, shod with 245/35 R20 front and 305/30 R20 rear tyres, shrouding big carbon-ceramic disc brakes.

The Aion Hyper SSR’s aerodynamic bodywork was overseen by GAC’s head of design, Pontus Fontaeus, a Swedish-American designer who worked for Ferrari in the early 2010s, on vehicles such as the F12 Berlinetta and FF supercars.

The vast majority of orders for the vehicle in its domestic market have chosen the Chinese Red exterior colour, but buyers can choose whatever colour they wish and there are a range of bespoke options available.

“Every customer when they put in an order, we invite them to the factory where we have a special line [enabling them to] customise the interior, exterior, seats, everything,” said the spokesman.

Chinese media are reporting dimensions of 4556mm long, 1988mm wide and 1230mm tall, and a wheelbase of 2650mm, making the SSR roughly the same size as the Ferrari 296 GTB (4564mm/1958mm/1187mm) but with a 50mm longer wheelbase.

Asked if GAC sees Ferrari’s hybrid V6 scorcher as a rival, the Aion spokesman said the vehicles were in different leagues.

“This is kind of special because it’s an EV. We are looking at supercars from Ferrari and Lamborghini but really we want to compete with other EV supercars in China but they haven't launched yet,” he said.

“Our rivals only have concept cars that haven’t really [been] delivered to the customers,” he said, taking a swipe at the BYD Yangwang U9 supercar.

“Our car here is already delivered to customers,” he stated.

The punishingly powerful Chinese exotic features deep sports bucket seats with all the creature comforts (heating, cooling, power adjustment, leather upholstery), along with a large 14.6-inch central touch-screen and smaller 8.8-inch digital instrument cluster.

A ‘squircle’ steering wheel, dual-zone climate control and an eight-speaker stereo are also part of the deal.

Aion parent company GAC Motor has made no secret of plans to expand into more export markets including right-hand drive countries such as Australia.

The first vehicles to roll off GAC Motor’s new EV-only Thai factory – in RHD – will be the Aion Y Plus, a mid-size electric SUV that’s slightly shorter than the Mazda CX-5.

This vehicle hasn’t been confirmed for Australia like the Aion V small SUV, but will be built in China and exported Down Under as the brand’s opening salvo here.

Several Chinese car-makers are setting up EV manufacturing plants in Thailand to service the region – which includes the Australian car market.

For example, GWM bought General Motors’ Thai factory in Rayong in 2020, while BYD and Neta Automobile are also set to join the fray with their own Thai production facilities in the coming years.

Australia’s top-selling vehicles, the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux, are built in Thailand due to its low labour costs and strategic location – as are most one-tonne utes and several off-road SUVs like the Isuzu MU-X.

But as strict new-vehicle emissions regulations come into effect in Australia from 2025, auto brands will need to bolster their portfolios with more low- and zero-emissions vehicles.

Whether the Hyper SSR will be added to the list of Thai-built cars sold in Australia remains to be seen, but if local consumer demand for high-performance electric sports cars like the upcoming MG Cyberster is strong, the likelihood of that happening will increase.

Stay tuned for more.

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