A majestic Hongqi CA7200E3L, seen in the winter of 2011 alongside the Second Ring Road in Beijing. The big Red Flag was in a great shape. As always, it was painted in black. And also as always, it was very dusty.
The Hongqi CA7200E3L was an extended variant of the Hongqi CA7180 Mengsi, which in turn was based on the Audi 100, which at the time was made at the FAW-Volkswagen joint venture. FAW, or First Auto Works, is also the owner of the Hongqi brand.
The CA7200E3L was extended behind the C-pillar, instead of on the B-pillar, which was far more common. It was stretched with 316 millimeter to a total length of 5109 mm
The Hongqi ‘Red Flag’ hood ornament. The frame is metal, the red part is made of see-through plastic.
The Hongqi CA7200E3L debuted in 1999 and was made until 2002. This kind of short production runs were totally normal for Hongqi at the time. Power came from a Nissan-sourced 2.0 liter V6 (VG20) with 123 hp and 167 Nm. Hongqi also used various Volkswagen and Audi engines for their Audi-based limousines, but the Nissan engine was the most common. It was mated to a 5-speed manual, sending horses to the front wheels. Top speed was 173 km/h. Price, in 2009, started at a hefty 244.500 yuan.
On the left side the full designation, which, in period, was mandatory on all motor vehicles. In the middle the brand name Hongqi (红旗) in handwritten characters. The Chinese flag, V6, and 2.4 are all additions by the owner. The 2.4 badge comes from a China-made Audi 200.
Today, these old Audi-based Hongqi’s are a rare sight on the road in Beijing, but in smaller cities you can still a lot of them even now.