The all-new, China-made stretch limo – the Hongqi L9 – partook of the celebration dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China. The luxury vehicle will make it into series, but higher state authorities will be the only ones allowed to buy.
At the parade that commenced on the Tiananmen Square, President Xi Jinping was seen riding the Hongqi, which incidentally stands for ‘Red Banner’ in China. Or, perhaps, not too incidentally, given that the enterprise is a member of state-owned FAW Group.
No official data exists on the stretch limo, except for its length (6.4 meters, or exactly 21 feet). Some say it comes powered by a V12, while others claim it packs 480+ hp (360+ kW) under the hood and has extensive armor plating.
The above notwithstanding, Hongqi actually does consider the possibility of mass-producing luxury cars for the wide target market. The carmaker attended the latest Frankfurt Motor Show with a supercar prototype named the S9.