The S9 PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) hypercar which was first presented as a concept at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show is making steady progress towards production. The last time it made the news was in April this year when a production-ready model was shown at Auto Shanghai 2021 and orders were being taken.
Pricing starts from 1.5 million euros (about RM7.453 million) and at that price, Silk-FAW would not be looking at high volumes. It is believed that the production run will be limited to 99 units, so it will be a ‘halo car’ for the rest of the Hongqi range which will have many new fully electric models.
Styled by ex-Volkswagen designer
The S9 began life as a project for the Hongqi premium brand of FAW (First Auto Works, a state-owned carmaker in China). The original design was done by Walter de Silva, formerly design head at the Volkswagen Group whose work includes many Volkswagen, SEAT and Audi models, including the R8. He is credited with being the man who introduced the Singleframe grille design which has been used on Audis since 2004.
In February this year, FAW signed a joint venture with Silk EV, an Italian engineering company, to develop a series of ultra-luxury, high-performance, new energy sports vehicles for the China and global markets. This moved the S9 to Silk-FAW which will bring it to the market by 2023.
To be built in Italy
With an investment of 1 billion euros, the S9 (as well as another model) will be further developed and manufactured in Regione Emilia-Romagna, the heart of Italy’s ‘Motor Valley’, where Silk EV has its headquarters. As development of the Hongqi ‘S’ Series line-up continues, production will be carried out in Italy as well as Changchun, where FAW’s headquarters is located in China.
1,400 bhp with top speed over 400 km/h
Silk-FAW will display the production version of the S9 at the Milan Design Week in early September. It has been confirmed that the hypercar will have a hybrid powertrain consisting of a 4-litre V8 petrol engine with electric turbocharging, and two electric motors. Total system output is expected to be in the region of 1,400 bhp, with 880 bhp coming from the engine. A top speed of over 400 km/h is expected with acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h targeted to be 1.9 seconds.
Other technical and design elements are not being revealed yet but as the pictures show, it has a long-tail design with a spaceframe underneath. Aerodynamic efficiency will obviously be superior and besides a variable geometry spoiler, there will be innovative carbonfibre air intakes, seamlessly integrated into each headlight, to bring cooling air to the engine. Air extraction will be via the rear light units.
Aspark Owl – first Japanese electric hypercar – claims acceleration record
