Hongqi, a premium
car manufacturer and part of China-based FAW Group, is currently working on the
next generation of its H7 sedan/saloon. To stir up public interest, the company
just released a few teaser pics of the upcoming update.
Based on the
images, the next H7 will sport an edgier body, a U-shaped radiator grille and a
LED stripe running between the brake lights, just as the current fashion
demands. Giles Taylor, former Director of Design at Rolls-Royce, is responsible
for the design of this particular model, so certain similarities are to be
expected.
The current-gen H7
is based on the Toyota Crown chassis, but the new generation will likely make a
switch to a new platform. The company remains tight-lipped about the details,
but rumor has it that the new H7 will ship with a turbocharged four-cylinder
engine available in three boost versions. The top version will allegedly produce
380 Newton-meters (280 pound-feet) of torque, which is 80 Nm / 59 lb-ft above
the performance of the naturally aspirated six-cylinder the model ships with
right now. It is also rumored that the new H7 will trade its six-speed automatic
transmission for a DSG gearbox, reducing the 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) sprint time
to under 8 seconds.
Images: Hongqi