A Hongqi H7 sedan, seen on a police equipment exhibition in Beijing in 2012. The H7 was still brand new then, so it was displayed on a stage with large screens. The H7 was painted black, like they always were, emphasizing the size and shine of the grille and the red hood ornament.
Hongqi (Red Flag) is China’s most famous automotive brand, best known for its stately state limousines. The Hongqi H7 was unveiled in 2012 and launched on the Chinese car market in 2013. So when I saw this one in Beijing, it wasn’t even available yet. Back then, the H7 was one of only two cars in Hongqi’s lineup. The brand has been growing since, and today it sells various mid- and high-end cars in both petrol and electric forms.
The H7 had the Golden Sunflower logo on the wheels and on the steering wheel. Hongqi has used this logo on- and off over the years. In the past, they only used it on their government state limousines, but later on, they started using the logo on their mainstream cars too, but not always.
The interior of the Hongqi H7 was luxurious and classy. Chinese car buyers don’t like dark interiors like Europeans do, so most interiors of China-made cars have light colors and trim. The H7 had light-gray leather seats, wood trim, and piano-black trim. It had a partially digital dashboard and a small screen for the infotainment.
The rear compartment with shiploads of legroom and more leather and wood. The beige carpets seem a little cheap compared to the rest of the interior. It has an armrest in the middle with controls for the air conditioning and the audio system.
Hongqi’s more recent cars are based on original platforms. Back then, however, Hongqi regularly used platforms of other cars to underpin their sedans. These platforms were ‘borrowed’ from cars made by the various joint ventures of First Auto Works (FAW), also the owner of the Hongqi brand. Some examples are the Hongqi 7200 series based on the FAW-Volkswagen Audi 100 and the Hongqi HQ3 based on the FAW-Toyota Crown Majesta (S180). The Hongqi H7 is based on the FAW-Toyota thirteenth generation Toyota Crown Majesta (S200). Hongqi redesigned the front and the rear but the hard points and dimensions remained the same.
There was a fellow on the right who really wanted to clean the car. He stood ready with blue and pink cleaning cloths. But I really wanted to have this pic with the front of the car on stage and on the screen. I got it!
And then he jumped on stage in a hurry to do his job. Thank you, Mr. Cleaner, for your patience.
The engine situation was a bit complicated. On the private market, in 2013, the Hongqi H7 was available with three engines: a 204 hp/ 260Nm 2.0 turbo developed by FAW or a 231 hp/300 Nm Toyota 3.0 V6. The car in the photos had the 2.0 turbo under the hood.
There also was a special version of the Hongqi H7 that was only sold to the government and to state-owned companies. This version was powered by a Toyota 2.5 liter V6 with an output of 197 hp and 224 Nm. All engines were mated to a 6-speed automatic gearbox, sending horses to the rear wheels.
The H7 became the most popular Hongqi sedan in recent history. It received a facelift in 2017 and it is still on the market today.
The current Hongqi H7, seen here on a sky scraper with a man.
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