From Tesla killer to badge engineering: Faraday Future’s new EV

US manufacturer Faraday Future recently unveiled an electric minivan called the FX Super One. As CarNewsChina reports, it's a rebadged Wey Gaoshan 9 from Chinese manufacturer Great Wall Motor, which is being delivered to the US as an SKD (semi-knocked down) kit to avoid tariffs.

Once a much hyped startup, the US-based Faraday Future was once tipped as a ‘Tesla Killer’ thanks to a high-tech EV which never made it to volume production. After a period of radio silence, Faraday Future announced the new FX Super One electric minivan at an event in Los Angeles. Specifications were thin on the ground, but the FX Super One was confirmed to have a 3,302mm wheelbase, boot space of 320 litres, BEV or plug-in hybrid powertrain options, plus 4, 6, and 7-seater variations. Order books for the new van are now open.

There’s only one issue for the company previously tipped as one of America’s top EV manufacturers. Eagle-eyed observers noted that the FX Super One bears a striking resemblance to another electric minivan, the GWM Wey Gaoshan 9. This Chinese-made EV features remarkably similar specs to the FX Super One, including a 3275mm wheelbase, a CATL battery pack with 51.55kWh capacity, and electric CLTC range of 201km.

Now CarNewsChina says an anonymous source has confirmed that the new Faraday Futures van is indeed the same as the GWM Wey Gaoshan 9. The source said: “Yes, it’s the Wey Gaoshan 9. GWM have been engaged with them (Faraday Future) about this project for roughly a year. They explored the possibility of rebadging the model and requested additional modifications. However, they were unable to meet the MOQ (minimum order quantity) required to justify the investment in new tooling or production line changes.”

Faraday Future also reportedly intends to ship the GWM minivan to the US as a SKD (Semi-Knocked Down) kit in order to swerve fresh US tariffs. This means the vehicles will be shipped in parts then assembled at a facility in California.

Faraday Future hasn’t confirmed this report and did not respond to external requests for comment. There are a number of discrepancies in the two vans’ specs, specifically the wheelbase length which varies by 2.8cm, which are not accounted for by the report.

carnewschina.com