- The Luxeed RX wants to steal some of the thunder from Xiaomi’s popular YU7.
- Luxeed will offer a dual-motor version of the RX, pumping out a combined 586 hp.
- The company claims the RX was styled by a former Ferrari chief designer.
Another sleek electric SUV has landed in China, and like so many before it, the styling leans hard on the Ferrari Purosangue. That’s no insult on its own, though it’s the kind of resemblance that tends to irritate people in Maranello.
This one wears an RX badge and comes from Luxeed, the Chery-owned brand that builds in partnership with Huawei under the Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance, or HIMA. The alliance also folds in Aito, Stelato, Maextro, and SAIC. Luxeed has its own term for the RX, calling it an FUV, short for Fashion Utility Vehicle.
Read: Huawei’s Updated Luxeed S7 Undercuts Rival Tesla Model 3
Here’s where it gets messy. As reported by Carnewschina, Zhao Changjiang, Luxeed’s executive director and executive vice president, says the RX was penned by a recent hire described as a “former Ferrari chief designer.” Whether that holds up is another matter.
Ferrari’s PR director in China went on social media to ask for the designer’s name, pointing out that the company hasn’t actually lost its chief designer. Take from that what you will. The shape, meanwhile, splits the difference between the Purosangue and the Xiaomi YU7.
Two Versions Available
The SUV is 197.6 inches (5,020 mm) long, 79 inches (2,007 wide), and 62.4 inches (1,585 mm) tall with a 118.1-inch (3,000 mm) wheelbase. The front is quite striking, sporting sleek headlights, a splitter, and a black grille. Other notable design elements include the black rocker panels, the bulging rear quarter panels, and the rear lip spoiler. As with other Luxeed models, the taillights feature an intricate light bar.
Photos released by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology reveal that plenty of options will be available, including yellow, red, and silver brake calipers. Several different wheel designs are also offered, including one with bright purple spokes.
The capacities of the RX’s battery packs aren’t yet known, but the base model will use an NMC pack from CATL, while the flagship version gets an NMC battery from CALB. However, we know the base model will have an electric motor with 372 hp driving the rear wheels, while a dual-motor version will also be offered with a combined 586 hp and a 156 mph (251 km/h) top speed.
