Whilst several reports of a confirmed Geely Hypercar programme for the 2027 FIA World Endurance Championship have somewhat jumped the gun, it is entirely correct to say that every day that passes sees the prospect of the Chinese OEM joining top class WEC action next year move closer.
Geely have been in negotiations for some time to acquire the assets of the current Alpine Endurance Team with a firm view to contesting the WEC from the start of the 2027 season. This after Alpine announced in February that their A424 programme would cease after the end of the current season.
In order to secure a 2027 campaign Geely intend to mildly restyle (front and rear only) the current Alpine A424 and re-homologate the car as an as yet unknown Geely model. That means that the current turbocharged six cylinder engine, initially developed by Mecachrome before moving to an in-house development by Alpine, will carry over to the proposed new programme.
Some inevitably sticky issues over the intellectual property of some of the tech on board remain but the two groups involved: Geely and Renault, already have standing collaborations in a number of areas including a major joint venture between the two, plus Saudi petrochemical giant Aramco, in Horse Powertrains which is focused on ICE and hybrid technology. Geely also holds a substantial minority stake in Renault Brazil.
Reports that most, if not all of the 2026 Alpine drivers have been contacted with a view to extending their current contracts for the first year of prospective new ownership are understood to be broadly correct too, confirmed by more than once source, though there will be at least some driver churn if Geely are successful in pulling together a programme.
The current Signatech squad looks set to continue to run the Geely programme, if confirmed, with details including the role of the current Viry-Châtillon base for Alpine’s programmes, and the management structure for Geely’s motorsport programmes, still to be finalised and confirmed.
And it will be the core Geely brand that features if and when this is achieved; paddock and industry sources have confirmed that none of the other Geely group brands are under consideration.
Better news still is that Geely look set to commit beyond the life of the current car with direct engagement with the 2030 ruleset development looking likely.
Geely then look set to become the first Chinese brand to confirm a full-season entry in any FIA World Championship and would become one of no fewer than 10 full manufacturer entries in 2027’s FIA WEC replacing Alpine and joining new entrants Ford and Mclaren.
The three newcomers would race alongside continuing players Aston Martin, BMW, Cadillac, Ferrari, Genesis, Peugeot and Toyota, brands representing eight different nations.
Who Are Geely?
Geely Auto Group was founded in 1997, and counts the first private car maker in China, Geely Auto, amongst its brands, as well as Lynk & Co, Zeekr, Volvo, Polestar, Proton and Lotus – as well as London ‘Black Cab’ makers LEVC.
The group also has formal partnerships with Daimler AG and Renault Group, holds a minority shareholding in Aston Martin Lagonda, and as of 2025, it is amongst the top 10 biggest automobile brands globally in terms of number of sales.
It’s previous motorsport involvement has focused upon touring car racing, with the Lynk & Co 03 TCR winning six FIA WTCR/TCR World Tour teams’ titles from 2019 to 2025.
As of this year, Geely Auto has also entered the TCR marketplace, with the Preface TCR winning in just its second-ever TCR World Tour race.
