The Chinese are building one of the world's most expensive sedans. It is the Hongqi L5, the 20-foot ultra-luxury limo designed for billionaires, that the carmaker wants to scare off Phantoms and Maybachs, which are very popular among the rich in the country.
The Hongqi L5 is China's reply to the infusion of ultra-luxury cars in the state. To fight the Rolls-Royce Phantom and the Maybach S-Class, they rolled out a car as luxurious as the two of them, but way more expensive. Mercedes delivered approximately 1,000 Maybachs to China every month in 2022.
The name of the sedan translates to "Red flag" in English (not surprising at all!) and is the volume production version of the CA770 state limousine. The model has recently been redesigned. The refreshed variant was unveiled in April at the Shanghai Motor Show, and it turned out that it grew into a bigger, more imposing, and more expensive version, sporting even more chrome than before.
The Hongqi L5 kept the retro-looking front fascia, but received new 21-inch wheels and a two-tone paint similar to the paint job of the Rolls-Royces and Maybachs. There is a red stripe on the hood, matching several other red accents on the logo and fenders.
The rear bumper has also been restyled, now sporting upright LED taillights. The tailgate displays an inscription of the model’s name. The company’s representatives claim that these characters are in Mao Zedong’s handwriting.
Photo: Hongqi
The redesigned L5 is 5,980 millimeters (235 inches) long, 2,090 millimeters (82 inches) wide, and 1,710 millimeters (67 inches) tall, sporting a wheelbase of 3,730 millimeters (147 inches). Those figures make it 411 millimeters (16 inches) longer, 19 millimeters (0.7 inches) narrower and 20 millimeters (0.8 inches) taller than the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class.
Meanwhile, the Rolls-Royce Phantom is 5,982 millimeters (227 inches) long, 2,018 millimeters (79 inches) wide, and 1,648 millimeters (64 inches) tall, and has a wheelbase of 3,772 millimeters (133 inches). This Chinese monster sedan weighs no fewer than 3,150 kilograms (6,945 pounds), which makes it way heavier than the Rolls-Royce Phantom, which weighs 2,560 kilograms (5,644 pounds), and the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class, which tips the scales at 2,275 kilograms (5,016 pounds).
Despite the impressive space on board, the model comes with a four-seat layout. There are real armchairs in the rear for those who prefer being chauffeured in an extremely opulent ambiance. The Chinese carmaker put real jade in the cabin and came up with some very daring color combos, which might not be that daring for the Chinese customers.
There is a 4.0-liter V8 operating under the hood of the L5, generating 382 horsepower (387 PS) delivered to all four wheels. Not much info about the specs is currently available, but we do know that it can hit a top speed of 220 kph. The previous generation was also offered with a 6.0-liter V12, but that one has not shown up in the range just yet, but it might do it next year.
The carmaker claims that it is a car "for everyone." Yet the price says different. The model starts at 5,000,000, which translates to $696,506. That definitely isn't a price "for everyone." According to a report from Car News China, the Hongqi L5 enters production, with the first deliveries set to take place before the end of the year.
Google News