Photo: Stefan Baldauf / Guido ten Brink
First things first, what in the name of all things holy is Hongqi? In case you haven’t seen Jeremy Clarkson test their flagship in China, let’s start with a brief rundown of the essentials.
Hongqi is Chinese for red flag, a symbol of Communist China and the power of the CCP over the most populous country in the world. Founded in 1958 and headquartered in Changchun, the brand is controlled by the FAW Group that operates joint ventures in the Middle Kingdom with Volkswagen, Toyota, and General Motors.
Passenger cars from Hongqi were originally meant for high-ranking officials, and to this day, the flagship limousine is beyond the wildest dreams of the common people. L5 is the name of the luxurious sedan driven by JC on The Grand Tour, and the starting price for such an opulent car is five million yuan ($705,000 at current exchange rates).
Other than dictatorial limos, Hongqi has a few ambitions in the realm of electrification. This is why the company bought a stand at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show to exhibit the S9 and E115, a hybrid hypercar and an electric utility vehicle.
The S9 is particularly curious given how many European influences are featured, with an emphasis on McLaren. But if you look closely at the smallest of details, the exterior design has more to do with a cartoon car than a no-nonsense hypercar such as the McLaren P1.
Specifications? Make that 4.0 liters of twin-turbocharged V8, a total output of 1,400 horsepower thanks to hybridization, 1.9 seconds to 100 km/h (62 mph), and a top speed of more than 400 km/h (248 mph). There’s no footage of the S9 on the road or hitting the promised velocity, which is why we’re taking these numbers with a pinch of salt.
The E115 is more believable in every respect despite the Rolls-Royce front end and silhouette. A mass-produced model will be available at some point in the future, underpinned by an all-new platform and up to Level 4 autonomous driving technologies. Hongqi claims the battery is good for up to 600 kilometers (373 miles) in one go, which is pretty good if we wouldn’t know that the Chinese still use the NEDC system.
Mainstream automakers in Europe had to switch to the WLTP, and in the process, range ratings took a bit of a nosedive. The pre-facelift Hyundai Ioniq Electric, for example, used to be rated at 280 kilometers according to the previous standard but the bigger battery of the mid-cycle upgrade returns 311 kilometers under the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure.
On that note, Hongqi doesn’t have a presence in Europe. And on a different note, the E115 looks like a Rolls-Royce because Giles Taylor penned it, the former design director of the British ultra-luxury brand.
Passenger cars from Hongqi were originally meant for high-ranking officials, and to this day, the flagship limousine is beyond the wildest dreams of the common people. L5 is the name of the luxurious sedan driven by JC on The Grand Tour, and the starting price for such an opulent car is five million yuan ($705,000 at current exchange rates).
Other than dictatorial limos, Hongqi has a few ambitions in the realm of electrification. This is why the company bought a stand at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show to exhibit the S9 and E115, a hybrid hypercar and an electric utility vehicle.
The S9 is particularly curious given how many European influences are featured, with an emphasis on McLaren. But if you look closely at the smallest of details, the exterior design has more to do with a cartoon car than a no-nonsense hypercar such as the McLaren P1.
Specifications? Make that 4.0 liters of twin-turbocharged V8, a total output of 1,400 horsepower thanks to hybridization, 1.9 seconds to 100 km/h (62 mph), and a top speed of more than 400 km/h (248 mph). There’s no footage of the S9 on the road or hitting the promised velocity, which is why we’re taking these numbers with a pinch of salt.
The E115 is more believable in every respect despite the Rolls-Royce front end and silhouette. A mass-produced model will be available at some point in the future, underpinned by an all-new platform and up to Level 4 autonomous driving technologies. Hongqi claims the battery is good for up to 600 kilometers (373 miles) in one go, which is pretty good if we wouldn’t know that the Chinese still use the NEDC system.
Mainstream automakers in Europe had to switch to the WLTP, and in the process, range ratings took a bit of a nosedive. The pre-facelift Hyundai Ioniq Electric, for example, used to be rated at 280 kilometers according to the previous standard but the bigger battery of the mid-cycle upgrade returns 311 kilometers under the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure.
On that note, Hongqi doesn’t have a presence in Europe. And on a different note, the E115 looks like a Rolls-Royce because Giles Taylor penned it, the former design director of the British ultra-luxury brand.
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