Former Ferrari CEO Will Help Chinese Company Build Global Hypercars

In an official press release, Silk-FAW appoints former Ferrari CEO and Board Member Amedeo Felisa as special advisor to the joint venture's executive chairman and member of the senior advisory board.

Felisa is expected to contribute greatly to the brand with his 26 years of experience working for the Prancing Horse. In fact, Silk-FAW discloses that Felisa "will be involved in setting global strategy for the company and will provide oversight on all elements of the execution of the company's business plan."

What's the business plan, you ask? Silk-FAW is looking to build "high-quality, ultra-luxury sports cars" not only for China but for the rest of the world as well. The Silk-FAW joint venture is making battery-electric and hybrid hypercars under the Hongqi brand, to be produced in China and Silk's headquarters in Emilia-Romagna in Italy.

We've had a first peek of these planned hypercars during the 2021 Shanghai Auto Show in the form of the 1,400-horsepower Hongqi S9. The first of the 'S' series, the Hongqi S9 is designed by former Volkswagen Group design chief Walter de Silva, who is now working as Silk-FAW's vice president of styling and design. De Silva will be designing Hongqi's entire 'S' lineup.

You might have heard of the Hongqi as a company that makes stately vehicles for the Chinese government, billed as the "official car for minister-level officials" since 2013. But as you have read, Hongqi isn't limited to making official cars anymore.

The S9 features a plug-in hybrid system with a V8 combustion engine that produces an enormous amount of power output. It's said to be capable of hitting 62 miles per hour (100 kilometers per hour) in just 1.9 seconds, while top speed is claimed to be 250 mph (402 kph).