Hongqi E-HS9 News

China’s premier car brand is headed to Australia. Hongqi, which is part of state-owned carmaker FAW, was originally the official motor vehicle supplier for high ranking communist party officials. Now it is China’s answer to Bentley, Rolls-Royce and the like. Now it has Australian roads in its sights, with the electric E-HS9 large SUV the first vehicle slated to arrive Down Under and it will be on display at the Melbourne and Sydney EV shows on 23-25 October and 6-8 November, respectively. It is a big, brash electric SUV with a dominant grille, blocky silhouette and a plush interior. There is no word on when it will arrive in Australia, and it hasn’t been approved for sale by the federal government regulator, which points to it still being at least six months away. We can gather some idea of what to expect by looking at fellow right-hand-drive markets such as Singapore where it is on sale. Hongqi’s Singapore website said it is 5209mm long, 2010mm wide, 1713mm tall and with a wheelbase of 3110mm. That makes it one of the largest passenger vehicles on Australian roads, and is bigger than a Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series and on par with the incoming Nissan Y63 Patrol. The enormous wheelbase - the distance between the front and rear axles - means it will also have one of the roomiest cabins of any vehicle in Australia. It uses two electric motors, in two tunes, to make a combined 320kW and 600Nm or 405kW/750Nm and provide all-wheel drive grip. Battery sizes range from 84kWh to 120kWh delivering a driving range of between 380km and 515km. The bigger battery and more powerful version is the one slated for Australia. It is fully kitted out inside, with heated, ventilated and power-adjustable massage seats up front, and a heated and ventilated second-row pew. Nappa and synthetic leather-wrapped upholstery is complemented by soft-touch and premium materials, 16-speaker stereo and a laundry list of other items. It has seating for six or seven, with the six-seat version using premium captain’s chairs in the second row and the seven-seat has a 2+3+2 layout.