The Luxeed RX has a Ferrari designer. Werner Gruber designed China’s rival to the Xiaomi YU7.
Luxeed revealed the designer’s name for the RX model after Ferrari’s Chinese branch publicly asked who was behind the car. The electric SUV starts at 299,800 yuan in China, which is around 165,000–170,000 zł, and has up to 586 horsepower.
This is more interesting than a typical marketing claim about an “ex-Ferrari designer” because this time a specific name and background were provided.
Ferrari asked for the name, Luxeed gave it
The whole story began a few months ago when Luxeed announced that the RX was designed by an ex-Ferrari designer. The issue was that Ferrari in China responded with a simple question: fine, but what’s his name?
The answer is now available. Zhao Changjiang, the brand’s executive director and executive vice president, wrote on Weibo that Werner Gruber is in charge of the Luxeed RX project. It’s not some anonymous PR contact. Gruber has worked on the LaFerrari, FXX-K, and Portofino.
The RX itself bears a strong resemblance to European and Chinese performance SUVs. The closest comparisons are obviously the Ferrari Purosangue, but also the Xiaomi YU7. Inspirations are evident from a distance. Still, the car looks cohesive with no random lines present.
Luxeed is a brand created jointly by Chery and Huawei. Pre-sales for the RX started in China at the beginning of the week.
Price, batteries, and another European connection
The starting price of the Luxeed RX is 299,800 yuan, which is around $44,550. This is higher than the Xiaomi YU7, which starts at 253,500 yuan in China. So on the local market, Luxeed isn’t aiming to be a “cheaper Xiaomi.”
The options available are versions with batteries of 81.1 kWh, 100.25 kWh, and 100.42 kWh. The base model comes with one engine at the rear axle and 371 horsepower. The more powerful variant features two engines, AWD drive, and 586 horsepower. On paper, this seems like a tier aimed higher than mainstream EVs, but not yet at the level of Porsche Macan EV or the top-tier Teslas in the West.
There’s another interesting point, which I think is even more important than the designer’s name. Zhao added that Tobias Moers, former head of AMG and former president of Aston Martin, who is now Luxeed’s “chief dynamic performance advisor,” is responsible for tuning the chassis. Former BMW engineers are also set to contribute to the project.
The technical package includes another 38 sensors, including 4 lidars. The system is designed to enable autonomous driving between addresses, but it remains at Level 2 officially. So, no miracles here. The driver still needs to keep an eye on the road and be ready to take control at any moment.
If Luxeed can actually deliver on driving quality rather than just relying on European names in its marketing, it could become more than just another “Chinese SUV with a lidar.” What do you think of this move: real value or mainly image-focused?
LovEV Newsletter
Want more content like this?
Sign up — we’ll send you a weekly summary once the newsletter starts.