The Hongqi N501 has finally been unveiled. Not in
China, but in Africa, where it was used by President Xi Jinping during his
visit to Rwanda. However, when visiting other countries on his Africa
tour Mr. Xi made use of various other cars, including a BMW 7-Series and a
Mercedes-Maybach S600 Pullman. The N501 it seems, was only used in Rwanda.
A few notable things:
- The N501 still goes with the old Hongqi sun flower logo instead of the new flag-logo.
- It is using a single red flag badge on the front fender, just like on the Hongqi L5.
- It is a much larger car than it appeared to be on the earlier images we saw.
FAW hasn’t released
any official information on the N501 yet. Even the name is uncertain. N501 is
believed to be just a code name. Engine is likely a twin-turbo V8 with just
over 375 hp and 530 Nm, mated to an 8-speed automatic. This engine is also used
in the LS5 SUV and the L5 V8.
Overall design is great; by far the most
modern-styled Hongqi ever.
