There’s no shortage of luxury vans in the market. The Toyota Alphard is practically the de facto king of the segment, but there are also offerings from China, Germany, and South Korea.
We would call the Alphard, Mercedes-Benz V-Class, or Hyundai Staria small by any means. After all, they’re all over five meters long and about two meters wide. But what if you need a luxury vehicle that can take you, your friends, and extended family all in one go?
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Enter the Hongqi Guoyue.
The what, you ask? Let’s take a quick refresher on Hongqi, shall we?
Hongqi is China’s answer to the world’s luxury brands, serving as the chariot of heads of state for over half a century. The company still does state limousines but has since expanded to (slightly) smaller sedans, crossovers, and electric vehicles. More recently, the brand landed in the Philippines with a trio of sedans and an electric crossover.
That said, the Hongqi Guoyue is nothing like the aforementioned models. It’s because the Guoyue is, quite literally, a minibus. This being Hongqi, it gets luxury trimmings that’s expected from the brand.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Hongqi if it didn’t have a massive grille, and that’s exactly what’s happened here. It even gets a similar fascia to its flagship crossover, the E-HS9. The company even made the effort of giving the rear a bit of flair.
Inside, there are seats for up to 23 passengers for the ‘business’ variant, but a 20-seat version is also available. There’s also a ‘luxury' model with 17-19 seats, while the top-spec model has 17 seats. Hongqi says the interior is customizable, so it’s possible to add more luxury trappings or remove more seats for extra space.
The seats are trimmed in leather, as well as the dashboard. Speaking of the dashboard, it’s not like the typical ones you’d see in a minibus. Aside from the car-like design, there’s also a floating widescreen display in the center and an electronic gear selector.
For those who are curious about the features, there’s a table behind the driver’s seat and a fridge behind the front passenger seat. Wireless charging is present, and there’s even a sunroof in the middle.
Unlike most minibuses, the Guoyue isn’t powered by a diesel engine. Instead, it’s powered by a gas-powered 3.0-liter turbocharged V6. It punches out 292hp and 420Nm of torque and shifts with an eight-speed automatic transmission.
