- The first model of Faraday Future's second brand, FX, the FX Super One, is an MPV licensed from Great Wall Motor, according to a Chinese media report.
- The FX Super One marks an important step in the global expansion of Great Wall Motor's Wey Gaoshan MPV.
Chinese automotive giant Great Wall Motor (HKG: 2333) is collaborating with Faraday Future (NASDAQ: FFAI) to expand into the US market, which has effectively been closed to Chinese automakers, according to a new report.
The first model of Faraday Future's second brand FX, the FX Super One, unveiled on July 17, is a model licensed by Great Wall Motor and based on Gaoshan MPV (multi-purpose vehicle) from the Chinese automaker's Wey brand, according to a report by Chinese tech media outlet Yiou today.
Jia Yueting, founder of Faraday Future, previously mentioned that the company's China-US automotive industry bridge strategy includes four Chinese automotive partners, and Great Wall Motor is one of them and the first to see results, according to the report.
Faraday Future began accepting pre-orders for the FX Super One on July 17. The vehicle's exterior closely resembles the Wey brand's Gaoshan MPV, with the front grille replaced by a large screen.
By the end of the unveiling event, 10,034 paid reservations had been made for the FX Super One, according to Faraday Future.
The announcement of the FX Super One has sparked widespread speculation that the model is actually the Wey Gaoshan, especially since the name Gaoshan appeared in the description of the model on Faraday Future's website.
This is not a case of Faraday Future copying Wey's MPV model, but rather the result of its collaboration with Great Wall Motor, according to the report by Yiou.
Facing the highly protective US market, Great Wall Motor has teamed up with Jia to enter the US market through his US-based automotive company Faraday Future, according to the report.
Over the past few years, the US government has issued multiple regulations effectively barring Chinese automobiles from entering the market. Chinese automotive giants such as Great Wall Motor and BYD (HKG: 1211, OTCMKTS: BYDDY) have largely avoided the US automotive market.
However, Great Wall Motor appears to still be eager to expand into this promising market.
On May 12, the day before the launch of the new Gaoshan MPV in China, Great Wall Motor chairman Wei Jianjun introduced the vehicle to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, stating that the new Gaoshan is a global model set to enter global markets in the second half of this year, as noted by Yiou's report.
FX Super One is an important step in Wey Gaoshan's global expansion, the report says.
Wey Gaoshan offers six-seat and seven-seat variants, with a starting price in China of RMB 309,800 ($43,310) to RMB 353,800.
($1 = RMB 7.1531)
