The GAC Aion Hyper SSR Is China’s First Street-Legal Electric Supercar And It Can Do 0-60 In 1.9-Sec

Chinese automaker GAC Aion had a brand day today and the biggest news was the introduction of an all-new model, the Aion Hyper SSR. As the brand’s, and arguably the country’s, first-ever, road-legal electric supercar, the two-door rocket on wheels has a claimed 0-60mph (96 km/h) time of just 1.9 seconds. Here’s everything prospective Chinese owners can expect when the GAC Aion begins deliveries in the country in late 2023.

While an unknown quantity in the West, domestically, GAC (Guangzhou Auto Corporation) is the fifth biggest automaker in the country. The GAC Aion is the group’s EV-focused brand with many recent successes in China. At the start of the year, it began selling its LX Plus SUV with some 626 miles of range, and in April, it opened its first battery-swap station.

The addition of a segment-shifting supercar, however, is a game changer for the brand that previewed the Aion Hyper SSR through the Enpulse Concept back in 2020.

The evolved production model will be offered in two different configurations, the first of which comes with rear-wheel drive and 1,225 horsepower (913 kW). Named the Hyper SSR Ultimate, it splits that power across all four tire patches for better acceleration and traction. It’s the Ultimate specifically that can do the 0-60 sprint in just 1.9 seconds.

Of course, it’s not the speed, styling, or power that makes the Aion Hyper SSR so unique. The Rimac Nevera can also do 0-60 in 1.9 seconds and given a suitably sticky surface and a one-foot rollout, so can the four-door Tesla Model S. What’s shocking about the all-electric Aion is that the brand says it’ll cost 1.68M yuan or about $240,000. The rear-wheel drive version will cost even less at 1.28 yuan or about $183,000.

While it isn’t homologated for the USA or other markets outside of China, for that matter, it’s technically possible that some brave soul could import it under the show and display law which allows owners to drive the car up to 2,500 miles each year. It’s not just all flash either.

The interior of this Chinese supercar looks enticing all on its own. It features an 8.8-inch driver information display and a 14.6-inch central infotainment system. GAC Aion says that it’ll also have a “lever-type electronic shift mechanism”. What exactly that means in practice we’ll have to find out when the car makes it onto roads sometime next year.