Silk-FAW has announced the appointment of Katia Bassi as its Managing Director. Bassi spent the last four years as the Chief Marketing & Communication Officer and Board Member at Lamborghini. It marks yet another recruit from an Italian luxury brand for the Sino-American partnership.
If you’ve been following the developments of Silk-FAW, you’ll know by now that they appear to mean business. The joint venture will bring a new line of “ultra-luxury, high-performance, new energy sports vehicles.”
However, in order to accelerate development, attract talent, and increase acceptance, they’ve decided to enter the lion’s den. In February it was announced they were setting up shop in the Emilia-Romagna region — largely considered to be Italy’s “Motor Valley.”
Bassi was recently named as one of the 100 most successful Italian women by Forbes Italia. Before Lamborghini, she worked as Vice President of Aston Martin and Managing Director of AM Brands. Bassi has also had stints at the NBA, Inter Milan, and Ferrari.
Read: Hongqi S9 Hypercar To Be Unveiled At Milan Design Week Next Month In Production Form
Bassi’s appointment comes after a string of other senior-level posts were filled by those experienced in Italy’s luxury supercar brands. The list includes, Ex-Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa as a special advisor, and former Ferrari, Alfa Romeo and BMW executive Roberto Fedeli as their new chief technology officer,
“Silk-FAW embodies the best of Italy and China’s expertise, and with global resources, we are perfectly positioned to drive a sustainable future through our ultra-luxury new energy sports cars,” said Bassi on her appointment.
The first car to take shape from the partnership will be the Hongqi S9. Styled by Walter De Silva, the Hongqi Hypercar was shown at the 2021 Shanghai Auto Show. It features a 1,400 hp hybrid driveline that pairs a V8 turbo engine with three electric motors. The hybrid supercar can reach 0-62 mph(0–100 km/h) in just 1.9 seconds, and has a top speed of 249 mph (400 km/h).
