Chinese car manufacturer Silk-FAW has announced the appointment of Amedeo Felisa as special advisor to the executive chairman and member of the senior advisory board. This comes just a couple of weeks after the company unveiled the Hongqi S9 hypercar.
Felisa has over 40 years of experience in the high-performance luxury car industry and began his career at Alfa Romeo. He has spent the last 26 years of his career at Ferrari and served as the chief executive of the company between 2008 and 2016.
In a statement, Silk-FAW confirmed that Felisa will provide “oversight on all elements” of the company’s business plan and will play a key role in bringing the Hongqi S9 to the market.
Read More: Silk-FAW Unveils Production Hongqi S9 Hypercar With 1,400 HP And 248 MPH
“We are delighted to welcome Amedeo Felisa to the SILK–FAW team,” executive chairman of Silk-FAW, Jonathan Krane, said. “Amedeo is one of the greatest automotive executives in the world and has a reputation for producing a portfolio of cars that have set the standard for both performance, luxury and design. His experience in Italy’s Motor Valley will be instrumental for the growth of our project.”
The Hongqi S9 was shown at last month’s Shanghai Auto Show and features a turbocharged V8 engine and three electric motors that combine to produce 1,400 hp. Hongqi claims the car will be able to hit 62 mph (100 km/h) in just 1.9 seconds and reach a 249 mph (400 km/h) top speed.
“I am very excited to join the SILK-FAW team,” added Felisa. “I have always had a passion for performance cars and welcome the chance to work with SILK–FAW to develop the next generation of high-performance luxury automobiles.”
