Intrigue around the designer’s name
Earlier this year, Chinese brand Luxeed made a statement it apparently did not expect to have to back up. It said that the new electric crossover RX, which is meant to be the answer to the Xiaomi YU7, was created by a former Ferrari designer. Ferrari’s Chinese office read this and asked the obvious question:
“Okay, and what’s his name?”
Now Luxeed has named the designer, along with the model’s starting price.
Werner Gruber: Ferrari on his résumé
The name was announced by Zhao Changjiang, executive director and vice president of Luxeed, in a Weibo post. It is Werner Gruber, whose résumé is indeed impressive. He worked at Ferrari on the LaFerrari, FXX-K, and Portofino. Although traits shared with the Ferrari Purosangue and Xiaomi YU7 are easy to spot in the RX’s design, there is no denying the crossover looks good.
Price and versions
Luxeed is a partnership between Chery and Huawei. This week, pre-orders for the RX started in China. The price starts at 299,800 yuan, which is approximately $44,550. That is more expensive than the Xiaomi YU7, which starts at 253,500 yuan (about $37,700), but still significantly more affordable than most powerful electric crossovers in the West.
Buyers will have several versions with batteries of 81.1 kWh, 100.25 kWh, and 100.42 kWh. Base trims have a single rear electric motor producing 371 hp. Those who want more can choose a dual-motor version with 586 hp and all-wheel drive.
Not just design: sensors and autonomy
The crossover boasts not only power. The RX is equipped with 38 sensors, including four lidars, enabling “address-to-address” autonomous driving. True, the system officially remains at Level 2 autonomy, so the driver must stay attentive and be ready to take control at any moment.
Chassis by Tobias Moers
It turns out Gruber is not the only European specialist involved in the project. In the same post, Zhao said the chassis setup was handled by Tobias Moers, former CEO of Aston Martin and former head of AMG. He became Luxeed’s chief adviser on dynamic performance. Former BMW engineers also joined the work on the model.
What this means for the market
Luxeed’s move shows how Chinese automakers are increasingly bringing in renowned European engineers to strengthen their positions. Mentions of people who worked on Ferrari, AMG, or BMW add weight to the brand in buyers’ eyes. At the same time, the price and equipment make the RX a direct competitor not only to the Xiaomi YU7 but also to many Western electric crossovers. Whether this will be the key to success depends on how the model performs in real-world conditions.