This is the new Hongqi S9, a new Chinese-Italian super car. Hongqi, or Red Flag, is China’s most famous automotive name, best known for their large old school state limousines. But in recent years Hongqi is transforming itself into a more modern outfit, with mix of high tech electric cars and large gasoline powered SUVs. The S9 is developed as a halo-car for this reinvented Hongqi brand, meant to create buzz and clicks, especially outside of China, where Hongqi is yet relatively unknown.
The Hongqi S9 is manufactured in Italy by Silk-FAW, a joint venture between Silk EV and First Auto Works (FAW), the owner of the Hongqi brand. Silk EV is a US-registered automotive engineering and design company with offices in New York, Changchun, and Modena. Silk-FAW is based in Modena as well. The city lies in the heart of Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, home to many world famous super car makers like Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Pagani.
The Hongqi S9 is designed by Walter de Silva, a renowned Italian car designed who previously worked for Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Seat, Audi, and the Volkswagen Group. His best known designs are, among many others; the Alfa Romeo 156, the Seat Ibiza, the Audi R8, the Volkswagen Beetle (2011), and the Volkswagen up!. He currently runs his own design firm called Walter De Silva & Partners. For the S9, Da Silva went for a classic supercar with long swooping lines and an extensive aerodynamic package, complete with a large fixed wing on the back and aero wheels.
The S9 is a plug-in hybrid (PHEV). The gasoline engine is a 4.0 twin-turbo “hot-V” V8 engine, with the turbochargers placed between the cylinders rather than on the outside. This technique saves space, allowing the placement of various components for the electric motors in the same engine bay. The V8, which was developed by FAW in China, has an output of 485 kw (660 hp) and 850 Nm. Two electric motors, one over the front axle and one over the rear axle, will add another 740 hp for a total system output of 1400 hp. Hongqi claims a top speed of 402 kilometers per hour, a 0-100 in 1.9 seconds, and a 40 kilometer pure electric range.
Production in Italy is set to start in 2022 with a limited production run of just 99 cars, priced around 2.35 million USD each. Most of these cars will go straight to China but Hongqi will offer it in Europe as well, as a part of its offensive on the continent, which started in December in Norway. Silk-FAW will produce several other high-end Hongqi cars, including the Hongqi L sedan, a coupe, and an SUV.