Is Chery set to become the latest manufacturer to commit to the Hypercar formula? The Chinese car maker, founded in 1997, has reportedly made plans to compete at the Le Mans 24 Hours in the next half-decade with the Exeed marque.
According to the report from Car News China, “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)” and has planned a “Road To Le Mans” initiative.
Its roadmap supposedly includes talent development, the construction of a “Le Mans-certified track” in Wuhu, China, entry into the Asian Le Mans Series, and, ultimately, a debut in the Le Mans 24 Hours with an established “Exeed Le Mans Team”.
It is not clear at this stage which route Chery/Exeed would take to Le Mans and the FIA WEC (LMH, LMDh or GT3). To compete in the Asian Le Mans Series, for instance, it would need to develop a brand-new GT3 car, rebadge a current prototype (like Aurus and Alpine did in the past with the ORECA 07), operate as Genesis did with IDEC Sport in the ELMS this year, or debut its Hypercar in the ACO’s Asian series to become eligible to compete.
This report on Chery tallies with chatter that DSC has been hearing in recent months that multiple Chinese manufacturers are evaluating Hypercar programmes in the coming years.
Multiple meetings between Chery and the FIA WEC about a prospective Hypercar effort (in which the ACO, FIA and LMEM offered guidance on how to proceed) are believed to have already taken place, with the most recent gathering occurring last weekend during the Asian Le Mans Series event in Sepang.
However, at this stage, Chery’s current status should be considered ‘interested’ rather than ‘committed’, with the brand described by a senior paddock source as inquisitive, but not yet close to making its ambitions a reality.
DSC also understands that there is no formal “strategic cooperation agreement with the ACO”, as the linked article suggests.
Image courtesy of Exeed
