Meet the 1043kW/400km/h hypercar called Hongqi

A spectacular new 1000kW-plus multinational plug-in hybrid hypercar has made its near-production debut during Milan Design Week in Italy.

To be built in nearby Reggio Emilia, the Silk-FAW Hongqi S9 is the first model in a range planned by the new joint-venture and the only one that won’t be all-electric.

To be powered by a 4.0-litre V8 engine and three electric motors – one at the rear and two up-front– the Hongqi S9 punches out an impressive 1043kW.

Driving all four wheels via an eight-speed auto, torque vectoring and a rear electronic differential, it claims a 0-100km/h acceleration time of 1.9 secs and a top speed over 400km/h.

Both those figures beat the Tesla Model S Plaid although the Rimac Nevera has more power and promises similar performance attributes, even beating the S9 to higher speeds.

The Silk-FAW Hongqi S9 also accelerates from 0-200km/h in six seconds and from 0-300km/h in less than 11 seconds. The S9 uses an 800-volt system and the pure electric range is about 20km.

Last shown as a concept at the Shanghai show in April and not changed that much this time round, just 400 examples of the Hongqi S9 are forecast to be built over three years, with the first of them arriving in 2023.

Each example is expected to cost as much as Euro 2 million ($3.2 million), making the S9 a logical opponent for the likes of the Aston Martin Valhalla, McLaren Speedtail and AMG Project One.

While the S9 might sound like something of a fantasy, there are some heavy hitting names involved in the project.

Tipping in much of the Euro 1 billion ($1.6 billion) development budget for the car, brand and Italian factory is Chinese auto giant FAW (First Automobile Works).

It has sold vehicles under the Hongqi brand since the late 1950s and now has former Rolls-Royce designer Giles Taylor styling its vehicles. The S9 is only expected to wear that badge in China.

The Italian-American engineering and design firm Silk EV is providing its expertise to the joint-venture, legendary former Volkswagen Group styling chief Walter de Silva leads design, former Ferrari technical director Roberto Fedeli is chief technical officer and former Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa is a special adviser.

“The S9 has a long tail as it has to reach very high speeds. Despite this, we managed to achieve elegant proportions that follow the principle of design purity,” De Silva was quoted as saying.

“Depending on the driving mode chosen, the driver will have access to specific features. When you are on the track, you do not need to have a layout like the one designed for city driving.”

Silk-FAW also plans to build a model range dubbed S7 in Italy that may include an SUV, a coupe and eventually a convertible.

Smaller S5 and S3 ranges will be built in China in Changchun, where FAW’s headquarters are located, but the cars will be sold internationally.