Great Wall Motor (GWM) is one of four Chinese automakers participating in Jia Yueting’s proposed “China-U.S. Automotive Industry Bridge Strategy” and the first to put the strategy into action.
Faraday Future has established partnerships with four Chinese OEMs, signing two strategic framework agreements and two memorandums of understanding.
On July 17, Faraday Future (FF) launched unveiled the first model of its second brand Faraday X—the FX Super One. By the end of the launch event, the FX Super One had received over 10,000 paid reservations, totaling 10,034 units.
However, this AI-powered MPV—dubbed the “Escalade Disruptor” by Jia Yueting—is essentially a heavily modified version of GWM’s Wey Gaoshan 9. The front grille has been replaced with an LCD display, but the body silhouette remains almost identical. In fact, the official website for the FX Super One once directly featured the “Gaoshan 9” name.
What appears to be an odd partnership on the surface is in reality a calculated strategic alliance: Wei Jianjun and Jia Yueting are each leveraging the other’s resources.
According to ChinaEVhome, the FX Super One is officially authorized as a derivative of the Wey Gaoshan. GWM is one of four Chinese OEMs participating in Jia Yueting’s “China-U.S. Automotive Industry Bridge Strategy,” and the first to implement it.
In the first half of 2025, the White House issued a presidential executive order raising retaliatory tariffs on Chinese goods to 84%. With additional compound tariffs applied, the total tariff on Chinese new energy vehicle (NEV) exports to the U.S. reached 147.5%. Even after the U.S. government later lowered the base tariff rate from 145% to 30%, tariffs on Chinese NEVs remained unchanged.
This makes it extremely difficult for Chinese NEVs to enter the U.S. market directly.
In May 2024, FF CEO Jia Yueting proposed the “China-U.S. Automotive Industry Bridge Strategy.” FF is currently the only U.S.-based car company founded by a Chinese entrepreneur that has fully compliant product development, production, and sales capabilities. With 11 years of deep integration in the U.S. and a total investment of nearly $4 billion in California, FF meets all ICTS (Information and Communications Technology and Services) regulatory requirements. This allows the company to enjoy favorable tariffs and also negotiate policy support from the U.S. government as a domestic automaker.
In essence, FF has U.S.-based manufacturing credentials and a California plant but lacks cash flow and a mature product. GWM, on the other hand, has the Wey Gaoshan—a high-end NEV MPV—but faces an insurmountable 147.5% tariff barrier to enter the U.S. market.
Under this arrangement, GWM exports parts to the U.S. in KD (Knocked Down) format, and final assembly is completed at FF’s California plant. The vehicle is then sold as “Made in the U.S.,” thus bypassing tariff barriers. FF, in return, acquires a production-ready product, saving billions in R&D costs.
On May 12, 2025—one day before the Wey Gaoshan’s domestic launch—GWM Chairman Wei Jianjun introduced the vehicle to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and emphasized that it is a global model scheduled to enter international markets in the second half of the year. The FX Super One marks the first step in the Gaoshan series’ globalization.
While some critics have described the partnership as a “Trojan horse,” this “FF inside” route provides a pragmatic and low-risk path for GWM’s U.S. market entry at a time when scrutiny against Chinese brands in the U.S. is intensifying.
According to FF’s Q3 2024 financial report, the company has established partnerships with four Chinese OEMs and has signed two strategic framework agreements and two memorandums of understanding. Finalized sub-agreements are currently under negotiation.
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