The story
Origins to 1991
While the name has endured, the vehicles that bear the brand name have varied significantly. Originally a dignitary's car, the brand's later vehicles have ranged from serving as taxis to low-end business sedans; during the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China parade, the brand returned to its roots by carrying party leaders.
The original Hongqi cars were a luxury item used for the transport of foreign dignitaries and the party elite. Although Chairman Mao Zedong claimed not to have been driven in a Hongqi until Nixon's 1972 visit, he did take a personal interest in the cars from the beginning.
Introduced on 1 August 1958, the first Hongqi was the CA72. By September, a convertible version intended to be used by dignitaries in National Day parades had appeared. The CA72's design was based on a 1955 Chrysler. From the beginning, the full-size Hongqi was equipped with a 147 kW (200 PS; 197 hp) V8 engine. The grille was based on a traditional design of a Chinese fan and remains in use on Hongqis today.
First introduced in 1963, the CA770 had remained in production until 1980, albeit in limited numbers. Around 1,600 of these V8-engined Hongqis were built in total, and over the years, various versions were released, including a 1965 long-wheelbase model with three rows of seats and a 1969 armored version (CA772).
1991 to 2018
Between 1995 and 2006, foreign products were manufactured in China and sold as Hongqi models. These included the Audi 100 (CA7200/CA7220) and the Lincoln Town Car (CA7460). There were two Audi 100-based versions—the more luxurious "Century Star" and the smaller (1.8-litre) Hongqi Mingshi.
FAW began production of the third generation of Hongqi vehicles in 2006. Named the HQ3 and based on the Toyota Crown Majesta, it saw little market success. First year sales totaled near 500, and while the target for the second year was 1,400 units, the HQ3 would not be profitable until annual sales of 5,000 were reached. By October 2007, the price was reduced considerably and the name changed to Shengshi ("Days of Prosperity") in order to better appeal to private buyers. Sales during the first half of 2007 were all from inventory and totalled 788.
Debuting by 2013, 30,000 units of the latest Hongqi model were initially expected to be produced, though a year after launch, less than 5,000 had been sold. Sales are through government procurement; the car is billed as "the official car for minister-level officials." In 2014, the People's Liberation Army purchased at least 1,000 H7 models. A much more expensive model, the L5, was also on sale alongside the H7.
2018 to present
FAW Group held the "Hongqi Brand Strategy Conference" in Beijing's Great Hall of the People on the evening of 8 January 2018. In this conference, the new Hongqi design was released, with a concept car model on display. A new logo was also released at the same time.
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In September 2018, British car designer Giles Taylor joined the FAW Group as Global Vice President of Design and Chief Creative Officer for Hongqi. From 2018 to 2021, the brand experienced extremely high growth, from 33,000 units in 2018 to over 100,000 in 2019, over 200,000 in 2020, and over 300,000 in 2021, a growth of 63 times in 4 years.
On 8 January 2023, the Hongqi brand released its global strategy for new energy vehicles.
In 2023, Hongqi launched two product lines, "Hongqi Golden Sunflower" and "Hongqi New Energy", based on the main brand, focusing on ultra-luxury cars and pure electric cars respectively.
In 2023, the brand re-entered the minibus market for the first time since selling the Hongqi CA630 minibus in the 1980s, with the 23-seat Hongqi QM7.
In 2023, FAW had internally announced the establishment of the Hongqi Brand Operations Committee and carried out a series of organizational and personnel adjustments.
From Wikipedia’s article on Hongqi (marque), shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4