FAW Hongqi, China’s oldest and most
luxurious domestic passenger car maker, has revealed their new H9 luxury sedan
poised to go against models like the Mercedes E-Class, the Audi A6 and the BMW
5-Series. Unless we’re missing something, the production car seen here is the
same as the one with the H7 moniker snapped ahead of its introduction last
month.
Compared to its European mid-size premium
rivals, even LWB ones like the E-Class L, the new Hongqi H9 has a larger
footprint. Technically, it’s closer to full-size luxury sedans at 5.2 meters
long with a wheelbase of over 3 meters for acres of leg room at the back.
The company says that the styling of the
new H9 is part of Hongqi’s latest design language but the overall outcome looks
more like a mix and match of other models, including the two-tone Maybach
paintjob, hints of Cadillac XTS from the rear quarters and Rolls Royce from the
front.
Up front, the big chrome grille is partly
surrounded by an LED strip that runs from edge to edge while the headlights are
Matrix LED units. Hongqi’s flag logo (Hongqi translates into red flag) has been
designed here as a thin red line that starts from the middle of the bonnet and
drops into the grille. Another feature is the pop-out door handles and a set of
20-inch alloy wheels to match the generous dimensions of the latest Chinese
luxury sedan.
The interior appears to be choked in
leather, wood and chrome, and features two large displays, one for the
instrument cluster and one for the infotainment system, in addition to ambient
lighting, touch-sensitive switchgear and an optional four-seat layout.
Power is provided either by a turbocharged
2.0-liter four-cylinder petrol engine with 252 HP and 380 Nm or a supercharged 3.0-liter V6 with 272 HP
and 400 Nm driving the rear wheels through an automatic
transmission, with the latter hitting 100 km/h in an unimpressive for
today’s standards, “just under” 8 seconds. Hongqi’s new H9 also rides on air
suspension and offers a “Level 2.5” semi-autonomous driving system.
