BYD, Li Auto, Spotlight Automotive, a joint venture between BMW and Great Wall Motors, and other electric vehicle makers are trying to poach staff from HiPhi after the troubled maker of luxury EVs suspended production at its units, according to a new report.
Various carmakers set up WeChat groups to invite HiPhi employees who intend to leave its plant in Yancheng, Jiangsu province, for interviews, National Business Daily reported yesterday. Many workers are considering jumping ship.
The Yancheng factory's administrative director is resigning, so there may be no one to handle other resignations later, according to a worker at the plant, who said he will likely not continue working in the city due to his disappointment.
The plant's staff can send appeals to related corporate departments, said the factory's acting head. They need to seize the time to find new jobs and share opportunities with each other, he noted.
The plant's head said he and other management had not received wages and reimbursements, noting that he asked to keep the factory's resources and equipment as HiPhi is still seeking new investments. Alternatively, the assets could be sold to pay the employees, he pointed out.
HiPhi is waiting for investors to throw it a lifeline, and founder Ding Lei is in Shanghai to have talks with the firm's management over investment and funding issues, the head added.
All HiPhi staff stopped working on Feb. 19 for a period that will likely last between three and six months, depending on the situation in different regions, according to a media report, citing a letter sent to employees.
Human Horizons Technology, which owns the HiPhi brand, was set up in 2017. Ding, its founder and chairman, was an executive at auto giant SAIC Motor and the vehicle arm of video platform Leshi.
Dongfeng Yueda Kia Motor, a joint venture between Dongfeng Motor, Yueda Group, and Kia Motors, inked a deal to lease its first plant to Human Horizons to make HiPhi vehicles in June 2019. The brand has three models priced at up to CNY800,000 (USD111,150) apiece but sold less than 10,000 units last year.
（Picture: Veer）
