Wang’s reference alludes to Hongqi’s own identity crisis over the years. “This brand, if they want to develop, they need to identify who their audience is.” Consumers don’t really understand what it represents,” said Wang Cun, vice director of the China Automobile Dealers Association. “In the past, they wanted to make it a high-end brand, but this brand had a hard time. Hongqi’s meager 5,000 in annual sales last year compares with more than 50,000 vehicles sold by BMW and Mercedes-Benz each in January alone, and more than 35,000 for Audi. The brand is well-known to average Chinese for its history as China’s oldest domestic brand, but doesn’t carry much cache to a newer generation of car buyers, who have flocked to German luxury brands like Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. That focus jibes with the car’s history, as the brand was initially used to chauffeur around Chinese and foreign dignitaries in the quarter-century after its founding in 1958. The revamped H7 has gotten decidedly mixed reviews, with some deriding its retro look and its overt focus on back-seat passengers. Further down the road, the company plans to roll out an SUV in 2018 to cater to a burgeoning class of Chinese weekend road warriors. Hongqi’s big hopes are flowing from its newest model, an updated version of its H7, which will hit China’s streets in the second half of this year. “Going forward, we have more plans to develop the network.”Ī Hongqi car is seen on display in Jinan city, Shandong province on Sept. “This is only the first phase,” a company insider told Caixin. The company currently operates a limited series of showrooms, known to industry insiders as hongguan, or “red shops,” that piggybacked on facilities owned by its much larger parent, FAW Car Co. Hongqi is starting with relatively modest ambitions, putting out a request in 35 cities for bidders interested in opening dealerships and after-sales service centers, known in the industry as 4S. (Beijing) - Legendary Chinese automaker Hongqi, which has chauffeured the likes of Richard Nixon and Mao Zedong over the years, is showing the world it isn’t running on empty just yet.ĭespite selling just 5,000 cars last year, the brand, whose name means “Red Flag,” has announced plans to build up a national sales and service network in an attempt to recapture some of its former glory and extend its limited appeal to the broader masses.
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May 2023
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