The Hongqi CA770 is China’s most famous, iconic and admired car. It was based on the 1950′s Chrysler CA 70 and was made in China in various forms from 1966 to 1981, only 847 CA770′s were ever produced. It is therefore a special thing when a somebody sells one, but it happens.

It is even more special when somebody sells one on the internet, the old Hongqi’s usually go by high-profile auctions these days. And it is almost unbelievable special  when someone sells two old Hongqi’s on the internet at the same time. But that indeed is exactly what is going on, right now.

In this post the first car, second car tomorrow. So much emotion, it ain’t good for me heart, I need a smoke first…

This CA770 is offered in the great city of Dalian in Liaoning Province. The ad was listed on February 1, 2012. Yez, you can still snap it up! This is what the seller says: unrestored original (!!!), made in 1978, No. 626, three rows of seats, glazed windows, used as a private car, 200.000 km on the meter.

If that all sounds too good to be true, well, it is. Last vehicle-registration date was in 1989, meaning is hasn’t been used much since then. Seller says the car is “non-operating”. However, there are many Hongqi-specialist around the country who can fix that and the good old American Chrysler engine (5.6 V8 with 161kw) will likely fire up again.

Price for all this pretty: 360.000 yuan or 57.000 USD and that is really on the cheap side, I guess the owner needs some money very quickly… It is absolutely worth the money but looking at the pics it will cost at least another 30.000 USD to get this baby back in a decent driving condition, then the buyer has to find a way to make it road legal again, with plates and insurances, which isn’t as easy in China today as it was like 10 years ago.  But if I had the money I would forget about all that and just buy the damn thing right away!

Big car for Big men. Sofa, carpet, lotta wood, ash trays, window to shut up the driver, all a fine vintage Hongqi 770.

The ad here: Cn2Che.

China’s strong desire to use domestic brands as official vehicles may provide a golden opportunity to revive the country’s two most historic and famous cars, Hongqi (Red Flag) and Shanghai.

Moreover, the revival may have repercussions for Audi AG, which currently supplies the majority of the nation’s official vehicles, said analysts. China is the German luxury-car brand’s largest market.

Recently, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology included three Shanghai-branded car models in its new vehicle product list. The engine capacity of 1.8 liters indicates the new models of the old brands – which all but disappeared from the market for two decades – will be medium-sized sedans, in line with the requirements for official cars.

Chinese newspapers also reported this week that the country will promote the use of Hongqi sedans – which in 1958 were China’s first domestically produced cars – as limousines for officials at the level of minister and above.

Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp (SAIC) said in an e-mailed reply to China Daily on Friday that China’s top automaker has included Shanghai-branded models in its product plans for passenger vehicles. However, it did not outline a definite production timetable or other detailed information.

FAW Group Corp refused to comment on official use of the brand, only saying that Hongqi branded cars meet all the regulations required for such use.

FAW’s Chairman Xu Jianyi has previously said that FAW will launch several new products under the Hongqi brand this year, with one tailored for official use. The other models will include limousines for ceremonies and parades.

Statistics from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers show that, although FAW has made a limited number of Hongqi cars for officials, no vehicles for private use have been sold in the past six months.

FAW’s Shenzhen-listed unit, FAW Car Co, saw its shares rise by 1.65 percent to 9.22 yuan ($1.46) on Friday, while SAIC’s shares gained 1.18 percent to close at 15.4 yuan apiece at the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

“In recent years, China has made great efforts to support the development of homegrown branded vehicles, as the world’s largest automobile market has been a goldmine for nearly all foreign automakers,” said an auto analyst, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

“No matter how much the use of Hongqi and Shanghai brands as official sedans will drive the two automakers’ sales in the passenger car market, the move will definitely give confidence to more domestic automakers to further develop their products,” said the analyst. “China has been the top vehicle market. To become one of the powerful automobile industries, we still need to rely on our own brands.”

In a 2009 plan to restructure and revive the automobile industry, the State Council, China’s cabinet, said that all levels of the Chinese government should ensure that domestically made cars should account for more than 50 percent of their official fleets.

Last year, the Chinese government’s new official vehicle-purchasing policy said that the percentage of homegrown branded cars for official use should be increased.

Audi, the German luxury brand, has had huge success in the Chinese market since it was selected to provide official limousines in 1996.

Although the company said that no more than 10 percent of its total sales came from government purchases, its image of belonging to the “official class” has been a great driver of sales to both business leaders and for private use.

In 2011, Audi sold 309,888 units in the Chinese market, an increase of 37.4 percent over the previous year. Moreover, 252,000 units of its total sales were locally produced cars, with almost half coming from its flagship A6L model, which is also the most popular car for Chinese officials.

The success in China has also helped the German automaker overtake its rival Mercedes-Benz, owned by Daimler AG, to become the world’s second-largest producer of luxury cars.

Via: ChinaDaily.

According to Chinese sourced cited by Businesweek the Chinese government has decided that the upcoming Hongqi (Red Flag) C131 will be China’s next official government car for minister-level officials.

This could easily count for some 100.000 vehicles and would be a big coup for Hongqi. Current official government car is the Audi A6L which is made in China by the FAW-Volkswagen joint venture. FAW is also the owner of the Hongqi-brand and will so win some and lose some, but at least they can keep all the profits on the Hongqi for themselves.

Late last year we saw the first all-naked pics of the upcoming Hongqi C131, the successor of the Hongqi HQ3. Those pics however did not unveil the interior but today we have the first clear pics of the dash and center console. Materials all look good enough for a luxury car and there seems to sit a newly-designed Hongqi-logo on the steering wheel.

The Hongqi C131 is based on the Toyota Crown (13th gen, S200) that is made in China by the FAW-Toyota joint venture, FAW is also the owner of the Hongqi-brand. There will be three engines; two from Toyota that also power the Crown: 2.5 V6 and 3.0 V6. Third engine is a new 2.0 turbo with 145kw and 280nm, developed by FAW.

The Hongqi C131 will debut at the April 2012 Beijing Auto Show to compete with cars such as the Audi A6, Mercedes-Benz E-class, BMW 5-series and Volvo S80. After its debut in April production will start late this year, debut on the market is expected for early 2013.

Via: 163.com.

A very nice Hongqi CA 7202E3 Shijixing taxi seen here parked on a street in Beijing. The Hongqi (Red Flag) CA7202 series were based on the Audi 100 that was made by the FAW-Volkswagen joint venture in Changchun, Jilin Province. FAW, First Auto Works, is also the owner of the iconic Hongqi brand.

The Shijixing, aka Century Star in English, was powered by a 2.0 Nissan VG20 V6 that pooped out 92kw, good for a 175km/h top speed. The Century Star was made from 2000 until 2005, over the years many interesting version were born including a full-size limousine and a parade car.

When the late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il visited China in May 2011 to ‘learn about’ the Chinese economy he visited several state-owned enterprises, one of those was a factory from First Auto Works (FAW) in Changchun, Jilin Province. Chinese state media at the time only said Kim “visited assembly lines from FAW and FAW Jiefang”. Thanks to a post on a South Korean army fan-site we now know a little bit more. Kim got a Hongqi and ordered 3000 army trucks…

Good old Kim got himself a nice new car, a black Hongqi HQ3 sedan. The choice of vehicle is kinda funny since it is based on a Toyota Crown, made in China by the FAW-Toyota joint venture. Toyota for sure is a Japanse brand and North Korea hates Japan big time, even more than it hates the US and South Korea. A full-spec HQ3 costs 688.800 yuan in China, or 108.000 US dollar. A good friend, deserves a good gift, especially if he wants your tucks:

FAW Jiefang is a truck maker. They make trucks for civilian use but also trucks from the Chinese military. This 6×6 monster is FAW’s newest army truck. According to the South Korean source Kim ordered 3000 of  these trucks and some ‘army jeeps’ as well. It is not sure whether the trucks have been delivered already. Likely not, because the truck is so new the Chinese army ain’t using it yet.

This is a still from Chinese TV. It shows Kim looking at FAW’s V12 engine. The engine debuted in 2009 and will power the upcoming Hongqi HQE limousine. No doubt Kim would have liked on of those as well.

Via: Bemil.com.

Here we have a very special bullet proof limousine, it debuted as a concept car at the 2006 Beijing Auto Show. Its full name is the Hongqi HQ430 New Flagship. It was based on the Hongqi (Red Flag) HQ430 sedan which in turn was based on the Hongqi HQ3 sedan which in turn was based on the Toyota Crown Majesta. ‘New Flagship’ refers to the old Hongqi Flagship which was based on the Lincoln Town Car.

The HQ430 New Flagship was to be the new limousine-of-choice for high ranking government officials who by that time mostly used the Lincoln-based Hongqi’s or Audi’s. The New Flagship was stretched by 55 cm which brought the total length to 5.02 meters. It was bullet-proof; European B4, U.S. 3A standard. Power came from a Toyota 4.3 V8 that pooped out 280hp.

Sadly, this concept is the only one HQ430 New Flagship ever built. The government didn’t want it, most likely because driving around in a car based on a Toyota from arch-enemy Japan was not considered a proper idea inside the Chinese Communist Party. Where this lone example is today is unknown, it is not in the FAW-museum in Changchun and not in any other museum. It is probably rotting away in some secret warehouse near the factory.

That would be too bad indeed because whatever its origins this Hongqi HQ430 New Flagship is a mighty bullet-proof machine!

Note red flag ornament on the C-pillar.

Via: Autofan, Sohu, Autohome.

We heard it many times before, and it never happened. Chinese media once again reports the Hongqi HQE will make it to the China car market. Listing is this time expected for December, price to start around 3 million yuan (476.000 USD). Consider us very skeptical…

The Hongqi HQE has been under development since 2006. It has to compete with cars brands such as Rolls Royce, Bentley and Maybach. Power comes from a ‘CA12GV1‘ 6.0 V12 engine which pumps out 300kw and 550nm. FAW, owner of the Hongi-brand, claims the engine was developed by the FAW Technology Center. In this case we are skeptical too, considering that neither Hongqi nor FAW has ever, ever, developed any engine completely by itself.

This is it, the CA12GV1. If the Hongqi HQE is going to hit the market in December one can assume some sort of HQE pre-production car or semi-concept will be shown at the Beijing Auto Show in April. If it’s there the story might be true, if it is not, the story is likely a some hopeful-fake again.

Via: 163.com.

Hongqi, or Red Flag, is China’s most famous automotive brand. Owner of the Hongqi-brand is First Auto Works, or FAW. Hongqi always was, and sometimes still is, the car for the country’s leaders – communist party bosses and the car for the very influential. Not the car for the very rich mind!, the Hongqi was strictly government business. Hongqi’s most famous cars are the CA 770-series and the Audi-based limousines and parade cars.

There is however another less well known chapter in Hongqi’s history; a tie up with good old Lincoln from the USA in the 1990′s and early 00′s. This article will show what cars came out of this interesting marriage. On first pic the first Hongqi CA7460 rolling of the line in the factory in Changchun, Jilin province. It was November 10, 1998.

Hongqi CA 7465 C8

Things however, started a little bit earlier, with madness! The first Hongqi-Lincoln baby was this hideous thing, the mighty Hongqi CA7465 C8. Based on the second generation Lincoln Town car, extended by one meter and sexed up with a new front that was harking back to the classic CA 770.

At most a hundred were made between 1995 and 1997. They were never popular, not even with the government. These days some are still in use by wedding companies like the example on pics, the rest seems to have vanished forever. Not a very bad thing, but still, an interesting experiment it was.

Hongqi Qijian CA 7460

Things got serious with the Qijian (Flagship) range. All subsequent Hongqi-Lincolns would be called Hongqi Qijian (红旗 旗舰) CA 7460. All were based on the third generation Lincoln Town car. The basic CA 7460 debuted in 1998 as seen above. Engine was the Ford’s 4.6 V8 with 158kw that would power all Hongqi-Lincolns.

The Lincolns were shipped as kits from the US and assembled in China. Design-wise Hongqi changed most at the front. A new grille, new head lights and a redesigned bonnet. Changes at the back were minimal. New Hongqi badges for sure and that was about it. The interior didn’t change at all except for a Hongqi-badge on the steering wheel.

Car on pic is the basic CA 7460, it has a white military plate and shows a red flag, meaning some high ranking military officer sits inside, when the officer is not in the car the flag has to be removed.

The red ornament on the hood depicts the ‘Red Flag’, the grille is made to look like a traditional Chinese fan.

Hongqi Qijian CA 7460 L3

There were three extended Hongqi CA7460; the L3, the L1 and the L2. Confusingly, L3 is the shortest, L1 sits in the middle and the L2 is the longest. The extensions were done in China by Hongqi, FAW therefore claimed the intellectual property rights on the whole car, unfortunately we don’t know how Ford responded to that one…

L3 interior.

The L3 debuted in 2001 and was extended by 20 centimeters for more space in the back. But sure a mere 20 centimeters was by far not enough for the powerful mandarins in the capital. It had to be bigger, much bigger.

Hongqi Qijian CA 7460 L1

One year later, the CA 7460 L1 arrived, stretched by 1 meter. Now Hongqi was in business! Still, is was too short for the government wishes.

The L1 therefore became sort of an ‘in between model’, not many were made and these days the L1 is the hardest Qijian to find. Something bigger though, was on the way…

Hongqi Qijian CA 7460 L2

One year later again, the CA 7460 L2 debuted at the 2003 Changchun International Auto Show, right on FAW’s home turf. The L2 was the biggest and baddest Lincoln-based limousine Hongqi would make, extended by 1.35 meter and equipped with a fridge, wine bar, TV-set, a computer and of course a state of the art on-board telephone system.

The tv-computer system.

As it happened, I was at that very same 2003 Changchun International Auto Show myself, during a trip to the Northeast, when the CA7460 L2 debuted.  It was extremely busy and extremely hot, I managed just to shot a few pic and this was the best. Car is on the left…

Hongqi Qijian CA 7400, prototype

And with this beauty we are back at the beginning. In 2004 Hongqi tried once more to redo the CA 770, this time based on the third generation Town Car. The front obviously changed but that was not all. The roof-line was lowered for a more aggressive stand and the rear was completely remodeled. A lot of work indeed and not at all a bad looking car. Unfortunately only one prototype was made but fortunately it still exist, it is on permanent display in the FAW museum in Changchun.

The prototype was a design study for a parade car, to be used for the 2009 military parade in Beijing. These big military parades are held only once every ten years, always on October 1, the day that communist China was founded in 1949. During the parade the president-party leader inspects the troops from a parade-car, always a Hongqi.  In the end the communist party decided to use the brand-new Hongqi CA 7600L for the 2009 parade and not this CA7400.

Toyota

The Hongqi-Lincoln tie up came to an abrupt end when FAW closed a deal with Toyota in 2005. The new Hongqi HQ3, the successor of the CA 7460, was going to be based on the Toyota Crown Majesta. Ford, was dumped. The deal was part of a much bigger agreement that lead to the founding of the FAW-Toyota joint venture. Production of the HQ3 started in 2007, and FAW-Toyota still makes various Toyota’s for the Chinese market.

And hereby this story ends, thank you for reading.

Sources: Sina.com, Chetx.com, FAWcar.com.cn, and FAW-auto.ru, Hongqiche.com 1, Hongqiche.com 2.

Thanks to the great book “HONGQI, the history of a Chinese limousine” by Erik van Ingen Schenau.

This mighty Hongqi CA7600L Parade Car is a piece of Chinese history. It is exactly this car, with numberplate 京V•02009, that was used by President Hu Jintao during the 1 October 2009 military parade in Beijing. Since 2009 this car has been all around China where it stood at several exhibitions and was also used for dealer events. Now it seems finally back home, on display right in the middle of the FAW factory in Changchun. FAW, First Auto Works, is the owner of the Hongqi brand.

President Hu Jintao inspecting the troops in 2009 with the 02009, technically before the actual parade begun. He drove up and down the street where the troops were waiting while shouting things like “Are you ready to defend the motherland?” trough the microphones. The soldiers would answer “Yes!!!” and so on and on.

The parade cars are exclusively made for the Chinese government, no private buyer can get it. But in April 2010 Hongqi brought a civilian CA 7600L to the Beijing Auto Show. Basically the same car but without the special parade-roof and microphones. Hongqi said they were going to make it but the status of the project is unclear at the moment.

The Hongqi CA7600L is powered by a 5.985 litre V12 with 300kw, torque is 580nm@3500nm. It is a big car, size: 6395mmX2008mmX1720, wheelbase is 3800mm.

A few months after the 2009 parade several Chinese toymakers came up with scale models. This is a very nice 1:43, see my full review here.

Pics FAW factory via: Hongqiche.