Hongqi (marque)

Hongqi (Chinese: 红旗; pinyin: Hóngqí) is a Chinese luxury car marque owned by the automaker FAW Car Company, itself a subsidiary of FAW Group. Hongqi was launched in 1958, making it the oldest Chinese passenger car marque.[1] In Chinese, hongqi means "red flag", a Communist Chinese cultural symbol.[2]

Hongqi
Native name
红旗
TypeDivision
IndustryAutomotive
Founded1958 (1958)
Headquarters
Changchun, Jilin
,
China
Area served
Mainland China
ProductsAutomobiles
ParentFAW Car Company
Websitehongqi.faw.cn//
For other uses, see Hongqi.

Originally, Hongqi models were only for high-ranking government officials[2] and remained in production until 1981. The brand was revived in the mid-1990s.

History

While the name has endured, the vehicles that bear the brand have varied significantly. Originally a dignitary's car,[3] the brand's later vehicles have ranged from serving as taxis[4] to low-end business sedans;[5] during the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China parade, the brand returned to its roots by carrying party leaders.[6] Today, party officials commonly prefer Audis.[7]

First generation
Hongqi CA72

The original Hongqi cars were a luxury item used for the transport of foreign dignitaries[3] and the party elite.[2] Although Chairman Mao claimed not to have been driven in a Hongqi until Nixon's 1972 visit, he did take a personal interest in the cars from the beginning.[8]

Introduced on August 1, 1958, the first Hongqi was the CA72. By September, a convertible version intended to be used by dignitaries in National Day parades had appeared.[9] The CA72's design was based on a 1955 Chrysler.[10] From the beginning, the full-size Hongqi was equipped with a 147 kW (200 PS; 197 hp) V8 engine.[9] The grille was based on a traditional design of a Chinese fan, and remains in use on Hongqis today.

First introduced in 1963, the CA770 model remained in production until 1980 albeit in limited numbers. Around 1,600 of these V8-engined Hongqis were built in total,[11] and over the years various versions were released including a 1965 long-wheelbase model with three rows of seats and a 1969 armored version (CA772).[9]

Second generation
Audi 100-based CA7200/CA7220

Between 1995 and 2006, foreign products were manufactured in China and sold as Hongqi models. These included the Audi 100[12] (CA7200/CA7220) and the Lincoln Town Car[10] (CA7460). There were two Audi 100-based versions—the more luxurious "Century Star"[13] and the smaller (1.8-litre) Hongqi Mingshi.[14]

Third generation

FAW began production of the third generation of Hongqi vehicles in 2006.[15] Named the HQ3 and based on the Toyota Crown Majesta, it saw little market success. First year sales totaled near 500, and while the target for the second year was 1,400 units, the HQ3 would not be profitable until annual sales of 5,000 were reached[16]—something that may never have happened. By October 2008, the price was reduced considerably and the name changed to Shengshi ("Days of Prosperity") in order to better appeal to private buyers.[5] Sales during the first half of 2008 were all from inventory and totaled 788.[5]

Fourth generation

Debuting by 2013, 30,000 units of the latest Hongqi model were initially expected to be produced[17] although a year after launch, less than 5,000 had been sold.[18] Sales are through government procurement; the car is billed as "the official car for minister-level officials".[17] In 2014, the People's Liberation Army purchased at least 1,000 H7 models.[19] A much more expensive model, the L5, was also on sale alongside the H7.[20]

Current products
Production Model Notes
2013–present[17] L7[18]
2013–present[17] L9[18]
2013–present[17] H7[18] Based on Toyota Crown Majesta (S200)
2014–present[21] L5
2015–present LS5 Based on Toyota Land Cruiser J200
2018–present H5 Based on Mazda 6 (GJ)
2018–present E-HS3
2019–present HS7
2019–present HS5 Designed by Italdesign
2020–present E-HS9
2020–present H9
2021–present E-QM5
  • Hongqi E-HS3
  • Hongqi HS5
  • Hongqi HS7
  • Hongqi H5
  • Hongqi H7 (2016 facelift) - PHEV version
  • Hongqi H9
  • Hongqi L5

Former products
Production dates Model designation Model name (Chinese) Model name (English) Platform
1958[3] Dongfeng CA71[3] 东风 East Wind[8] Simca Vedette body and chassis, Mercedes-Benz 190 engine[3]
1958–1965 CA72 红旗 Red Flag 1955 Imperial C-69 sedan[10]
1966–1981[11] CA770 series 红旗 Red Flag 1960s Imperial
1972–1979 CA774 红旗 Five prototypes were built but were not in production. Designed to replace the Hongqi CA770
1980–1987 CA630 红旗 A bus designed as VIP transport for the government, state-owned high-end hotels and travelling agencies. 19 seater load capacity, fitted with a 4.5 litre V8 engine producing 165 horsepower paired to a 4 speed manual gearbox.[22]
1982–1984 CA750/CA760 红旗 Red Flag A sedan made by Hongqi with Datsun 280C styling cues. Was produced to compete with the Shanghai SH760. A long wheelbase version was also available as the CA760 with only one made.[23]
1987 CA750F/CA760 红旗 Red Flag Dodge 600, did not enter production
1989 CA7225LH 红旗 Red Flag Audi 100
1992–1995 CA7560/CA7560LH 红旗 Red Flag
1993 CA7221L 红旗 Red Flag Audi 100
1993–1998 CA1021U3 pickup 红旗 Red Flag Audi 100
1995–1997 CA7465C8 红旗 Red Flag Lincoln Town Car[24]
1996 CA7246L 红旗 Red Flag Audi 100
1996–2004[25][26] CA7200[27]/CA7220[25] 红旗 Red Flag Audi 100[27]
1996–2005[28] CA5020XJB/CA7180A2EL1 Mingshi and Shiba/CA7200E3L/CA7202E3L/CA7202E3L1 Century Star/CA7220EL1/CA7220L1/CA7221L/CA7225LH/CA7226L/CA7228L/CA7240L/CA7242E6L and CA7242E6L1/CA7247L[28] 红旗 Red Flag Audi 100[27]
1998–2005[29] CA7460/CA7460L1/CA7460L2/CA7460L3[29] 红旗旗舰 Hongqi Flagship Lincoln Town Car[29]
1999 CA7220A9EL2 红旗 Red Flag Audi 100
1999 CA7220A9E 红旗 Red Flag Audi 100
2000–2006[3] CA7202E3/CA7242E6/CA7182E7[30] 红旗世纪星 Hongqi Century Star[13] Audi 100
2001–2003[30] CA7180A2E/A3E 红旗明仕 Hongqi Mingshi Audi 100
2001–2005 CA7202A9EL3L2 红旗世纪星 Hongqi Century Star Audi 100
2004 Hongqi CA7400 红旗 Red Flag Remake of the Hongqi CA770 with a lowered roofline based on the 1998–2011 Lincoln Town Car. Prototype only
2006–2010[31] Hongqi HQ3[32]/Shengshi[5]/HQ430[15] 红旗盛世 HQ3/Days of Prosperity/HQ430[15] Toyota Crown Majesta[8]
2009, 2015 CA7600L 红旗 Red Flag
  • Hongqi CA72 (1959)
  • Hongqi CA770 (1967)
  • Hongqi CA774 (1974)
  • Hongqi CA7180A2E (2003)
  • Hongqi CA7202E3
  • Hongqi CA7460 (1998)
  • Hongqi HQ3 (2006)
  • Hongqi H7 (2012)

Concept cars
A 2008 Hongqi SUV concept car
Hongqi S9 concept car (2019)

Hongqi will sometimes put in an appearance at autoshows held on Chinese soil showing off a concept car that attracts attention.

At the 2005 Shanghai International Auto Exhibition, a Hongqi HQD concept car was displayed.[33]

A Hongqi SUV concept was unveiled at the 2008 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition.[34]

At the 2015 Shanghai International Auto Exhibition, Hongqi displayed a concept SUV radically different from its 2008 entry.[35]

At the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show, Hongqi unveiled the sports car S9 and the SUV E115.[36]

  • Hongqi S9
  • Hongqi E115
  • E115
  • Hongqi HQD concept car
HQE

Not strictly a concept car, the V12 powered Hongqi HQE was used by high-ranking Hu Jintao during parades celebrating the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China.[6] It appeared on an official list of upcoming models in 2010 with a retail price of 1.2 million US dollars (which would have made it the most expensive Chinese-built car in history).[37] This model has since been shown at the 2010 Beijing Auto Show as the CA7600L.[38] It is equipped with a 300 kW (408 PS; 402 hp) 6.0 L V12 engine developed in-house.[38]

Relationship with Besturn

Hongqi and another FAW Group brand, Besturn, have exhibited some overlap. In 2008, due to flagging sales, Hongqi showrooms were merged with those of the then recently developed Besturn brand.[39] It was thought that giving the Hongqi brand more sales outlets would increase turnover.[40] At the 2010 Beijing Auto Show Besturn models were shown "under the Hongqi naming series",[41] and until 2011 the two brands both used the Hongqi "circled one" badging.[42]

Sales

A total of 2,534 Hongqi vehicles were sold in China in 2013, making it the 67th largest-selling car brand in the country in that year (and the 41st largest-selling Chinese brand).[43] Hongqi sold 2,774 cars in 2014 and became the 72nd largest-selling car brand of China.[44]

Exports

Hongqi has a presence in Dubai since December 2018 with the H5 and H7 being sold with 20 vehicles used in the NEXT summit in 2019.[45]

In Western culture

A 1978 Hongqi CA770 was featured in a 2017 episode of Jay Leno's Garage.[46]

The Hongqi L5 was reviewed by Jeremy Clarkson in a 2019 film for The Grand Tour taking place in China. Armed with western luxury cars, Clarkson and the other presenters sought to prove that western luxury cars are superior, with a series of performance challenges.[47]

References
  1. About FAW > Key Events Archived 2009-03-04 at the Wayback Machine First Automobile Works official site
  2. The home team economist.com, Nov 13th 2008
  3. "Hongqi Luxury Car". faw.com.cn. FAW Group. Archived from the original on June 18, 2004.
  4. Hongqi Mingshi Enters Daqing Taxi Market Archived 2006-07-25 at the Wayback Machine First Automobile Works official site, Oct 13, 2005
  5. Ally (2008-10-09). "FAW Car cuts price of luxury HQ3 sedans hugely". Gasgoo.com.
  6. Unveiling the President's car at Chinese National Day military parade xinhuanet.com, 2009-10-01
  7. Chinese public revved up over BMW, Benz on gov't car list Archived 2012-11-07 at the Wayback Machine xinhuanet.com, 2009-06-13
  8. Family's driving ambition chinadaily.com.cn, 2007-04-04
  9. "Hongqi Brand". First Automobile Works. Archived from the original on 2011-05-13. Retrieved 2011-04-17.
  10. "FAW Announces Plan to Revive Hongqi Limousines". ChinaAutoWeb.com. August 26, 2010.
  11. Piazzi, Giuseppe; Sidoli, Carlo (January 1985). "Sognando l'Auto" [Dreaming of the Car]. Quattroruote (in Italian). Milan, Italy: Editoriale Domus. 30 (351): 51.
  12. "Homegrown auto industry has bit between teeth". xinhuanet.com. Archived from the original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2006.
  13. "Hongqi has been the Official Vehicle for the Congress Ten Years in Succession". FAW Group. 2 March 2005.
  14. Fuel Saving Match of New Hongqi Mingshi Ended First Automobile Works official site, Aug 16, 2005 8:23 AM
  15. Special Supplement: Hongqi seeks to build global premium auto brand chinadaily.com.cn, 2007-11-26
  16. Gao, George (2008-05-12). "Hongqi to launch a new model each year, starting with HQE". Gasgoo.com.
  17. "Mao's Red Flag Returning To Drive China Leaders From Audi: Cars". bloomberg.com. Bloomberg LP. Feb 27, 2012. Retrieved July 5, 2012.
  18. Lienert, Paul (Apr 25, 2012). "FAW's Hongqi Shows Two New Luxury Sedans: 2012 Beijing Auto Show". insideline.com. Edmunds.com. Archived from the original on November 12, 2012. Retrieved July 5, 2012.
  19. Huifeng, He (19 May 2014). "Domestic car brand Hongqi sells 1,000 cars to Chinese military". scmp.com. South China Morning Post. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  20. "$803,300 Chinese Car Goes on Sale". bloomberg.com. Bloomberg LP. Apr 19, 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  21. Rong, Blake Z (26 April 2014). "$800,000 Hongqi L5 is the most expensive Chinese car you can buy". Autoweek. Yahoo! Autos. Archived from the original on 22 May 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  22. "Visit To The Hongqi Factory Museum In Changchun, China. Part 2 by Tycho De Feijter".
  23. "Japanese car styling at the end of the Cultural Revolution".
  24. "Hongqi of China: The Lincoln years".
  25. "Spotted in China: Hongqi CA7200".
  26. "Spotted in China: Hongqi CA7220".
  27. "Autosoviet: CHINESE CARS". Retrieved 20 April 2017.
  28. "All The Hongqi Stretched Limousine Variants Based On The Audi 100/200".
  29. "Spotted in China: FAW-Hongqi CA7460". Car News China. 27 May 2010. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
  30. World of Cars 2006·2007. Warsaw, Poland: Media Connection Sp. z o.o. 2006. p. 231.
  31. For 2006 start date, see A Moving Launch for FAW's New Hongqi HQ3 First Automobile Works official site, Dec 20, 2006
  32. "A Moving Launch for FAW's New Hongqi HQ3". FAW Group. 20 December 2006.
  33. First Automobile Works official site, Jun 22, 2005
  34. "FAW Hongqi SUV concept unveiled at Beijing show". Automotive World. 21 April 2008. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  35. Halas, John (21 April 2015). "Hongqi LS5 Is Something Like China's Range Rover For The Rich". carscoops.com. Carscoop & Carscoops. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  36. "Frankfurt Motor Show: Hongqi S9 supercar raises eyebrows". motoring.com.au. Motoring. 14 September 2019. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
  37. "The Most Expensive Chinese Car, $1.2-Million Hongqi HQE, is Getting Ready for Volume Production". ChinaAutoWeb.com.
  38. Jurnecka, Rory (2010-04-23). "2010 Beijing: FAW Red Flag Limo is Chinese for Old-School Luxury". Wide Open Throttle. Motor Trend.
  39. "FAW Car to merge Hongqi, Besturn sales networks". gasgoo.com. 30 July 2008. Archived from the original on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  40. "FAW mulls merging Besturn, Xiali sales networks". gasgoo.com. 27 October 2008. Archived from the original on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  41. "Besturn B90 Sedan spotted out testing". China Car Times. 2010-10-27. Archived from the original on 2010-10-30. Retrieved 2011-01-24.
  42. For shared badging, see FAW to give B50 a new grill and logo for 2011? Archived 2011-08-24 at the Wayback Machine chinacartimes.com, December 28, 2010
  43. "2013 Passenger Vehicle Sales by Brand". China Auto Web. 15 January 2014. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
  44. "【搜狐汽车产销库_汽车产销数据】_搜狐汽车网". db.auto.sohu.com. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  45. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/xinhua-silk-road-chinas-iconic-sedan-brand-hongqi-sparkles-at-third-next-summit-dubai-2019-300965899.html
  46. Jay Leno's Garage (2016-04-03), 1978 Hongqi CA770 - Jay Leno's Garage, retrieved 2019-05-07
  47. "'Chinese food for thought' – The Grand Tour Series 3 Episode 6 Preview – MotoringBox". Retrieved 2019-04-19.
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