A flock of new photos of the Hongqi H5, a new
mid-size sedan for China’s famous Hongqi (Red Flag) brand. The final production
version of the H5 debut on the Guangzhou Auto Show and launch on
the Chinese market just before year’s end.
The Hongqi H5 is based on the Mazda 6 Atenza that is
made in China by the FAW-Mazda joint venture. FAW, or First Auto Works, is also
the owner of Hongqi. Lone engine is a 1.8 turbo with 178 Hp and 250 Nm, mated to
a 6-speed automatic. This engine is very old, based on a Volkswagen design an
used in many other FAW products. Further in the future Hongqi might add a 2.0
turbo and a hybrid to the lineup, but that hasn’t been confirmed yet.
The Hongqi H5 will be positioned below the Hongqi
L7. There is some overlap with the Besturn B90, which is based on the previous
generation Mazda 6. Besturn is another brand owned by FAW. Price of the H5 will
start around 160,000 yuan or US$ 24,000.
The beautiful handwritten Hongi badge at the back.
Spoiler neatly integrated in the boot lid. Now, one can wonder whether a big
sedan with just 178 horses under the hood really needs a spoiler.
