The Luxeed RX electric crossover from Chery and Huawei starts at about $43,000 and offers up to 586 hp with all-wheel drive.
Ferrari decided to find out who was actually behind the design of the new Luxeed RX electric crossover after the Chinese brand said the vehicle was designed by a former Maranello employee. After learning about the claim through its Chinese subsidiary, the Italian automaker asked for the person’s specific name — and received an answer that confirmed the RX’s connection to Ferrari’s heritage.
Luxeed CEO and Executive Vice President Zhao Changjiang revealed the details in a Weibo post about the brand’s latest achievements. The designer turned out to be Werner Gruber, who previously worked at Ferrari and contributed to the design of models such as the LaFerrari, FXX-K, and Portofino. The RX’s styling does share some similarities with the Ferrari Purosangue and Xiaomi YU7, although it is undeniably attractive.
Luxeed is a joint project between Chery and Huawei, and preorders for the RX opened in China earlier this week. The base price is 299,800 yuan (about $43,000), making it more expensive than the Xiaomi YU7, which starts at 253,500 yuan (about $36,300). Even so, compared with high-performance electric crossovers from Western automakers, the Chinese newcomer looks quite affordable.
The RX lineup includes versions with batteries of the following capacities:
The base version is equipped with a single rear electric motor producing 371 hp. Buyers looking for more power can choose a dual-motor version producing a combined 586 hp and featuring all-wheel drive.
In addition to its powerful hardware, the RX gets an impressive array of 38 sensors, including four lidar units, allowing the vehicle to travel autonomously between designated points on a route. Officially, the system is rated at Level 2 autonomy, so the driver must still remain attentive and be ready to take control at any time.
It turns out that Gruber is far from the only European specialist involved in developing the model. In the same post, Zhao Changjiang said the chassis was tuned by Tobias Moers, who previously headed Aston Martin and AMG. He now serves as Luxeed’s chief dynamic performance consultant. Former BMW engineers also joined the development effort, underscoring the Chinese automaker’s serious ambitions in the high-performance EV segment.
Competition is heating up in other parts of the auto market as well. For example, budget sedans are preparing for a showdown following their updates — details on how the Skoda Slavia differs from the Honda City could help shoppers considering a car priced below 2 million rupees. Meanwhile, the SUV segment is preparing for the arrival of an updated Kia Sorento hybrid with all-wheel drive, which will take on the Toyota...