By now, you’ve probably heard of Hongqi. If you need a recap, it’s China’s oldest and longest-running automaker, and is best known for making luxury cars and vehicles for government officials. Hongqi recently landed in the Philippines with two models, the H5 and e-HS9.
Fast forward to Auto Shanghai 2023, and Hongqi has launched two all-new large sedans, the L5 and H6. The L5 caters towards the traditional (and extremely wealthy) Hongqi customer, while the H6 aims for the younger luxury sedan buyer. We’ll talk about the L5 some other time and put our focus on the H6.
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The H6 is about the size of BMW 5 Series and a Lexus ES with dimensions of 4,990mm long, 1,880mm wide, and 1,455mm tall. And because the Chinese market has a particular liking for extra legroom, the H6 has a wheelbase of nearly three meters, 2,920mm to be exact. If anything, its dimensions are similar to the H5 sedan that’s already available here but the H6 is a few millimeters more in terms of length and width.
The H6 keeps Hongqi’s signature upright grille, but the rest of the front end has a sleek look. The upswept headlights, aggressive bumper corners, and hood bulges make up the front end, and a coupe-like profile gives it a sleek outline. As for the rear, the tail lights feature a Y-shaped design similar to the small H5.
Its interior is far from what anyone would call traditional luxury. From its curved, wraparound dashboard to the ambient lighting, the H6 is all about new luxury. Further pressing that point is the massive vertical touchscreen right on the center stack. Other features include a 5G network connection, seat ventilation and massaging, a heated steering wheel, a head-up display, and semi-autonomous driving capabilities.
As for the powertrain, there are two engine options available for the H6. While both are 2.0-liter turbo units, the entry-level model puts out 221hp and 340Nm of torque. It’s essentially the same engine that powers the top-spec H5. But for those looking for more power, there’s one that produces 248hp and 340Nm of torque. Both shift with an eight-speed automatic transmission.
Hongqi says that the H6 is also intended for export, but it’s unknown if the Philippine market will get its hand on it. But if you’re curious, H6 prices in China range from 192,800 to 239,800 Yuan. That’s about P1,572,000 to P1,955,000 at current exchange rates, sans local taxes.
