Chinese state-owned automaker Chery will join the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race in five years with its Exeed high-end brand. It will compete in the well-known motorsport racing system as a manufacturer’s team alongside Porsche, Toyota, Aston Martin, Cadillac, BMW, and other automakers.
The Chery-owned Exeed brand announced on December 15 that it signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (A.C.O). It is the creator and organizer of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Exeed announced a five-year “Road to Le Mans” initiative as it aims to participate in this prestigious racing series.
Exeed’s five-year plan
The disclosed plan includes three core phases. At first, Chery will launch the “Exeed Unified Race” local endurance racing selection system. This step will enable the company to refine its technologies, build a strong team, and identify the necessary driver talents to participate in racing.
Next, Exeed will join the Asian Le Mans Series (ALMS). This series comprises three main classes: LMP2 (Le Mans Prototype 2), LMP3 (Le Mans Prototype 3), and LMGT3 (Le Mans GT3). The latter segment requires automakers to produce over 2,500 vehicles per year for street use to compete in the series.
The third phase is the establishment of “Exeed Le Mans Team” that will enter the min race of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Moreover, Chery and A.C.O. agreed to build a Le Mans-certified track in Wuhu (where Chery is headquartered). It will host top-level racing events in China. Exeed will use this track as a laboratory to improve its mass-produced cars.
It is worth noting that Chery will become the first Chinese company to join the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Interestingly, this automaker’s engine lineup isn’t wide. The most powerful Chery-developed ICE is a 2-liter turbocharged four-cylinder for 192 kW (257 hp). However, this automaker pushes its C-DM plug-in hybrid technology with a combined output reaching 455 kW (610 hp).
More Chinese automakers eyeing motorsport
Chery isn’t the only company that actively pursues goals in motorsport. For example, Geely’s Lynk & Co Cyan Racing became the most successful team in the FIA TCR World Tour series. Cyan Racing has claimed a total of nine world titles during the TCR era with the Lynk & Co 03 TCR race car of Geely Group Motorsport since 2019. Next year, Cyan Racing will switch to the new Geely Preface TCR race car.
Moreover, Geely’s subsidiary Horse Powertrain (a joint venture between Geely, Renault, and Aramco) became the service partner of the Formula 4 junior racing series. At the same time, this company supports the Formula Student China university engineering competition.
Follow us for ev updates
