The deal has yet to be completely finalised, but there is now little doubt that it will happen. And its significance would extend far beyond simply putting a different name on an existing car. China is no stranger to international motorsport, but never before has a Chinese manufacturer entered the WEC’s top class with the opportunity to fight for overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
That is precisely the path Geely now intends to follow.
Talks have progressed considerably since the 24 Hours of Le Mans, to the point where Geely representatives have visited Viry-Châtillon and Bourges, home of Signatech, and met senior ACO officials.
But what is being discussed extends beyond motorsport. And that is also why everything has yet to be finalised at the time of writing.
Why is Alpine ending its Hypercar programme?
It was on February 12 that Alpine officially announced it would leave the WEC at the end of the current season. Despite growing sales, Alpine is still not profitable as a standalone brand. Relaunched in 2017 with the A110 before becoming a dedicated Business Unit in 2021, it had targeted financial break-even in 2026, helped by the arrival of new electric models such as the A390.
That has not proved enough. And the arrival of François Provost at the head of Renault Group in July 2025, replacing Luca de Meo, profoundly changed the picture. Unlike his predecessor, the new CEO appears less inclined to invest heavily in motorsport. The Hypercar programme quickly paid the price, despite the undeniable progress made by both the A424 and the French team.
Alpine Cars justified the decision by citing the need to “review its priorities and set actions in place for a sustainable future” and prioritise certain projects to ensure “a sustainable future, including ending its engagement in the FIA World Endurance Championship beyond 2026, and focusing on the FIA Formula One World Championship.”
Back in June 2023, Alpine was still envisaging a second phase of development from 2027 onwards, with an expanded range and international growth, notably in the United States. Three years later, those ambitions have been significantly revised.
Alpine’s WEC withdrawal therefore looks less like an isolated sporting decision than one consequence of a much bigger question facing Renault: what future does the group really want for Alpine?
Why does taking over Alpine’s programme make sense for Geely?
The timing has created an opportunity that would have been difficult to imagine only a few months ago.
Renault Group’s decision to end Alpine’s Hypercar programme after the 2026 season left Signatech facing an uncertain future. Philippe Sinault and his team had spent years bringing Alpine back to the highest level of endurance racing, only to learn that the programme would end just as the A424 was beginning to fulfil its potential.
The blow was a heavy one in Bourges. But once it had been absorbed, Sinault and Alpine Racing immediately set about finding a solution to preserve what had been built. Geely, which had already expressed an interest in joining the WEC in the medium to long term, quickly emerged as the most serious candidate.
For the Chinese group, the opportunity is rare. Rather than spending several years building a Hypercar programme from a clean sheet, it has the chance to enter the WEC with a mature car, an established technical structure and a team with a real understanding of endurance racing.
An almost turnkey route into one of motorsport’s most demanding environments.
How much of the current project would remain?
Almost everything. At least initially.
The car expected to race under the Geely name would remain technically identical to the current Alpine A424. The Oreca-developed chassis, Mecachrome-designed turbocharged V6 and aerodynamic concept would all be retained.
Why? There simply is not enough time to redesign bodywork. The transformation would therefore be limited to a new livery and a different lighting signature, achieved without altering the car’s aerodynamic surfaces. The first major upgrade is not expected before 2028.
The change of manufacturer would nevertheless require the car to go through the appropriate homologation process again, including a visit to the Windshear wind tunnel in North Carolina.
Philippe Sinault and his team would remain responsible for running the cars. Viry-Châtillon – where the engines have been assembled and maintained since July 2025 – could, however, take on a greater role.
Alpine Racing currently owns 49% of Groupe Signature and exercises joint control over the company, with the expectation that it will eventually acquire the remainder of the Bourges-based operation. Describing the project as one effectively outsourced by Geely to Viry-Châtillon would therefore not be far from the truth.
Taking over the A424 project would therefore be less an end in itself than a launchpad to learn the WEC, understand its inner workings and master Le Mans before becoming a manufacturer in its own right in 2030, the year in which the new regulations come into force.
Why do Renault and Geely’s existing ties matter?
Because this would hardly be a marriage of convenience between two strangers.
Renault Group and Geely have significantly strengthened their industrial relationship in recent years. The most visible example is Horse Powertrain, the powertrain company created by the two groups and now owned by Renault Group, Geely and Aramco.
Their relationship has since developed further. In 2025, Geely acquired a 26.4% stake in Renault do Brasil, gaining access to the French manufacturer’s industrial and commercial infrastructure in the country.
The takeover of the Hypercar programme would itself be part of much broader discussions between the two groups, extending well beyond motorsport.
Why the WEC?
Geely has become a major force in the global automotive industry. Headquartered in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group has assembled an impressive international portfolio that includes Volvo Cars, Polestar, Lotus, Zeekr and Lynk & Co.
Nor is motorsport entirely unfamiliar territory. Lynk & Co won multiple world touring car titles with Cyan Racing, although the programme was operated under a Swedish banner. Hypercar, however, represents another dimension.
Geely does not need the WEC to make itself known in China. What the championship could do is help it become, in the eyes of Western audiences, what it already is industrially: one of the heavyweights of the global automotive industry.
Despite selling more than three million cars in 2025, the bulk of its volumes still comes from China. The WEC and the 24 Hours of Le Mans would provide a formidable platform to establish the Geely name internationally, particularly against Chinese rivals that already enjoy greater recognition abroad, led by BYD.
China and the 24 Hours of Le Mans
Lynk & Co, another Geely brand, has already succeeded at the highest level of touring car racing with Swedish outfit Cyan Racing. NIO, meanwhile, has been represented in Formula E. But never before has a Chinese manufacturer put its own name into the top class of world endurance racing with the ambition of winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans outright.
But China would not arrive at Le Mans without history.
It was not until 2008 that Cong Fu Cheng became the first Chinese driver to start the French classic. In 2025, Yifei Ye became the first Chinese driver to win it outright.
Among teams, Hong Kong-based KCMG paved the way in 2013 before winning LMP2 two years later. Jackie Chan DC Racing – in reality operated by Jota Sport – subsequently became the first mainland Chinese team to win at Le Mans, taking an LMP2 one-two in 2017 while finishing second and third overall.
China has already won at Le Mans. Now, for the first time, one of its manufacturers is preparing to try to conquer it.