This is an Honqgi CA7200, a Chinese sedan based on the Audi 100. I saw this great vehicle back in 2012 in Beijing. It was a little dusty, but in those days, everything was. Otherwise, the CA7200 looked great for its age.
The ‘winged 1’ logo. The 1 is for First Auto Works (FAW), one of China’s oldest car makers, founded in 1956 and based in the great city of Changchun in northeastern Jilin Province.
The Hongqi ‘Red Flag’ hood ornament. The Audi 100 was made in China by the FAW-Volkswagen joint venture. As part of the joint venture deal, FAW was allowed to use the Audi 100 platform for the Hongqi brand.
The CA7200 was a stylish car, the five-spoke wheels were factory standard. A nasty dog peed on the front tire!
The Winged 1 logo is on the front fenders as well.
The Hongqi CA7200 was launched on the Chinese car market in 1996 and production ended in 1998. This kind of short production run was common at the time in China.
The Hongqi (红旗) logo on the wheel nuts.
Hongqi fitted its Audi-based models with all sorts of engines: from Audi, Volkswagen, Nissan, and Chrylser. The Hongqi CA7200 was powered by a Nissan engine and a rather special one at that. The engine was the VG20, a 2.0 liter V6 with 126 hp, and the top speed was 175 km/h.
Note the Audi-branded mud flaps! A lot is going on on the trunk lid: CA7200, 红旗, and 中国一汽. The last part means China First Auto, short for China First Auto Works. Every Hongqi has that badge, even today.
These old Audi-based Hongqi sedans were stong machines. I remember seeing them around on the endless streets of the capital until far into the 2000s. Sadly, ever stricter emission regulations pushed these great cars out of sight. Some were scrapped but most ended up in smaller cities where the rules weren’t as strict as in Beijing yet.