Camilla Jessen
China’s Great Wall Motors has entered the supercar arena.
China’s Great Wall Motors is making bold claims about its upcoming hybrid supercar—saying it will outperform none other than the Ferrari SF90, one of the most iconic high-performance machines on the market.
According to a report by CnEVPost, Great Wall has spent five years developing its flagship model and insists it will surpass Ferrari’s 1,000-horsepower, twin-turbo V8 hybrid.
That’s no small feat.
The Ferrari SF90 is the Italian automaker’s first plug-in hybrid supercar, and widely considered one of the most advanced high-performance vehicles to date. It features a 3.9-liter V8 engine paired with three electric motors.
No V12—or V8—Under the Hood
Unlike Ferrari, Great Wall isn’t planning to cram a V12 or even a V8 under the hood.
In an interview with a Chinese blogger, the company’s technical director Wu Huixiao admitted that there simply isn’t enough room for such large engines in their design.
Instead, the Chinese automaker is developing a hybrid system built around either a 3.0-liter V6 or a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, paired with two electric motors. The smaller setup reportedly produces up to 850 horsepower—still a full 150 hp shy of the SF90’s output.
Great Wall is also said to have faced challenges working with a carbon fiber monocoque and keeping development costs within reason.
To help close the performance gap, Great Wall has reportedly brought in a Nürburgring development expert to fine-tune the car—highlighting a growing trend among Chinese automakers who are enlisting European talent for engineering and design.
It’s not the first time this has happened: Xiaomi, for example, famously hired a former BMW designer for its EV program.