Chinese luxury car maker Hongqi is still a relatively unknown name to petrol-heads from all over the world, but the company owned by FAW Automotive has just announced it sold the very first regular-production L5, for an unbelievable price, just over $800,000.
That’s way more expensive than what you would pay for a brand new Rolls Royce Wrath or a Bentley Mulsanne, but is this L5 worth all that money or is this just a publicity stunt to bring the company in our attention? This is the most expensive Chinese car ever built, after all, but is it worth the hype?
Looking like a 1970s Russian presidential limo, the Hongqi L5 features round headlights and a large radiator grille, with chromed vertical slats, up front. At the rear, you’ll notice the vertical tail lamps, which continue this interesting retro design, and in the cabin the new owner will enjoy hand-carved wood trim on the dashboard, along with perforated leather upholstery.
The retro vibe of this vehicle is supported by a two-spoke steering wheel, although state-of-the-art electronics were also added to this ride, including a digital instrument cluster and a tablet integrated in the rear armrest. Powering up the L5 is an impressive 6.0-liter V12 engine, good for about 400 hp and 405 lb-ft. of torque, that sends its power to all four corners thanks to a six-speed automatic gearbox.
No performance figures have been released yet, although the 20-feet 6,000-pound limousine might make due with that. Hongqi is expecting to sell a small number of L5 limousines, to private buyers, although it’s worth mentioning that the Chinese market is the only one to benefit from these vehicles.
