Concern FAW at the upcoming International Motor Show in Shanghai will present a new (second) generation of executive sedan Hongqi L5. A photo of the working prototype L5 of the next generation, which is undergoing road tests, has been published in the public domain. Although the car is carefully pasted over with a masking film, the pictures give an idea of the proportions and approximate styling decisions of a promising sedan.
Recall that the current Hongqi L5 has been produced since 2014 - this car is made using small-scale technologies with a high proportion of manual labor of highly qualified professionals, which is why it is called the “Chinese Rolls-Royce”. Hongqi occupies the highest position in the hierarchy of auto brands in the Celestial Empire; the first officials of the PRC have been driving cars of this brand since the late 1950s. The status of Hongqi can be compared with passenger ZILs or the same Rolls-Royces.
Judging by the pictures, in the new incarnation of the L5 has a body created from scratch. Its tailgate connector is made almost vertical and minimally enters the rear arches - thus, boarding and disembarking should become more convenient.
The main styling features of the L5 are retained - these are round headlights, vertical taillights and dedicated front fender volumes in the manner of the first generation Hongqi CA72, released in 1958. The grille with chrome vertical teeth is also in place, but in the new generation it is much larger in area.
Inside, there are individual luxury seats at the rear, a horizontal architecture of the front panel, massive decorative inserts made of precious wood and leather and expensive fabric upholstery.
There is no information about the technical side of the car yet.
The current L5 is offered with a 408-hp 6.0-liter V12 petrol. and a torque of 550 Nm, which is aggregated with a 6-speed automatic transmission. The drive is permanent full.