Leapmotor and state-owned Chinese company FAW have signed a strategic agreement to launch a joint project to produce electric vehicles under the Hongqi brand. As part of this agreement, Leapmotor will provide its B10 platform, which is suitable for both pure electric and hybrid solutions.
The first production car will appear in the second half of 2026, and assembly will be carried out at a plant in Hangzhou, but the focus is on exports to Europe, the UK, Australia and the Middle East.
The B10 architecture is recognized as one of the most flexible and technically mature platforms on the Chinese market. Many global brands have already shown interest in it. The most curious thing about this aspect is that this number includes none other than... Ferrari.
Leapmotor CEO Zhu Jianming confirmed that he is negotiating with Ferrari to create a joint model based on the new platform. There have been no official comments from the Italian side so far, but the visit of the Ferrari boss to the Leapmotor factory in February speaks for itself.
Leapmotor is strengthening its international position with the support of Stellantis, which owns 21% of the Chinese company and controls 51% of the export business. In just 13 days since the launch of the model with the B10 architecture, 8,000 cars were sold - an impressive figure for a new player in the market.
For FAW, the project is important not only from a technological but also from a design point of view. Hongqi's design director, Giles Taylor, a former employee of Rolls-Royce, said that even with the transition to a foreign platform, the spirit and style of the brand will remain unique. Hongqi strives to combine tradition and avant-garde solutions in order to present itself with dignity on the world stage.