A group of deep-pocketed China-based internet entrepreneurs and financial investors, including Tencent and Hillhouse Capital, is backing an effort to create NextEV, a new rival to U.S. electric car maker Tesla Motors Inc, Reuters reports.

Hillhouse is also an investor in Uber, the U.S. ride sharing service.The backers have hired ex-Ford Motor Co executive Martin Leach to build a global automaker, a NextEV spokeswoman said on Monday, August 31. The backers have also recruited experts with previous experience at Tesla, BMW AG, Volkswagen AG and other major car companies.

The NextEV investors are among several Chinese technology entrepreneurs with little or no automotive background who are hoping to create new electric car companies. The effort is supported by the Chinese government, which recently changed rules to encourage investment by non-automotive companies.

Among the Chinese tech companies that have announced or are considering investments in electric car ventures are Alibaba, Xiaomi Technology and Leshi.

"The first model launched by NextEV will be an electric supercar," NextEV spokeswoman Jili Liu told Reuters. "This EV supercar is expected to outperform all combustion (engine) supercars in the world."

The sportscar is expected to debut in 2016. It will be designed to produce more than 1,000 horsepower and accelerate from 0 to 100 kilometers an hour (62 miles per hour) within 3 seconds, Liu said. A range of high-performance family cars will follow.

NextEV Co is being backed by Chinese internet company Tencent; William Li, the founder of internet content provider Bitauto.com; Xiang Li, the founder of automotive website autohome.com.cn, and Richard Liu, the founder of e-commerce site JD.com. Hillhouse Capital, which was started with seed money from Yale University, is also a backer, NextEV said.