Hongqi has just opened the reservations for its brand-new Guoya flagship sedan. Coming to fight the Rolls-Royce Ghost and the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class, no matter how you look at it, the luxury car is one that would be fit for a president. In fact, Joe Biden has already admitted to liking his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping's Hongqi L5.
The car was launched under Hongqi’s Golden Sunflower luxury brand and comes with a designation, which is a reference to the Chinese people. "Guo" is Chinese for "nation," while "ya" means "elegance." Therefore, it sounds like the carmaker is counting on the reputation of the national elegance to boost sales figures for its new Guoya.
The luxury sedan is based on the L-Concept. An upstraight grille with chromed vertical slats, flanked by headlights with the DLP (digital light processing) technology, gives it an imposing stance, also bringing retro vibes. The Hongqi logo, positioned on the hood, is retractable, similar to that of th Rolls-Royce model.
The DLP headlights are capable of maximizing light on the road and of displaying symbols to indicate that there are pedestrians crossing the street, for instance, but also highlighting the road signs.
The Chinese automaker claims that the taillight design is derived from the "palace lantern" shape, while the decorative chromed strip connecting the taillights is inspired by the structure of the ancient Chinese palaces.
Photo: Hongqi
The brand’s flagship sedan measures 210.7 inches (5,353 millimeters) in length, 78.7 inches (1,998 millimeters) in width, and 59.5 inches (1,511 millimeters) in height, sporting a wheelbase of 128.3 inches (3,260 millimeters).
Those are numbers that make it shorter than the Rolls-Royce Ghost, for instance, which is 214.8 inches (5,457 millimeters) long, with a wheelbase of 129.72 inches (3,295 millimeters).
Similar to Mercedes-Benz Maybach models, the Hongqi luxury sedan can be ordered in a bi-tone paint scheme.
The heads of state or celebrities willing to purchase the Guoya must know that it is available in both four- and five-seat configurations. The model rides on 19-inch wheels as standard, but 20-inch units are also available.
An LCD digital instrument panel and a suspended central touchscreen, controlling most of the functions of the sedan, are inside the cabin that sports wood enters, leather, and chrome trims. Heated seats with massage programs, face/voice/gesture multi-mode interaction, and intelligent ambient light adjustment are also present.
Two powertrains make up the Hongqi Guoya engine lineup, and both of them are plug-in hybrids. One integrates a 3.0-liter turbocharged engine and an electric motor for a total of 389 horsepower (394 metric horsepower).
The range-topping version is the one powered by a 4.0-liter turbocharged engine and an electric motor for a combined output of 483 horsepower (489 metric horsepower).
Both are equipped with ternary lithium battery packs, but the automaker has not disclosed their capacity yet. Also undisclosed is the price tag of the model.
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