Reviews & Specs

Hongqi Luxury EV Range Review: China’s Premium Flagship in European Markets

Few Chinese carmakers carry the weight of history that Hongqi does. Born in 1958 as the official state limousine of the People’s Republic of China, the brand once built cars that ordinary buyers could only admire from a distance. Today, that same marque is rolling onto European driveways with a sharply styled electric range designed to challenge the established German and British luxury elite on their own ground.

In this comprehensive Hongqi luxury EV review, we examine the full electric line-up arriving in Europe — the flagship E-HS9 SUV, the executive EH7 saloon, the family-focused EHS7 and the newcomer EHS5 — covering the specs, range figures, pricing and the question every buyer is asking: can China’s premium flagship genuinely compete with Mercedes, BMW and Audi?

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For decades, Hongqi — literally “Red Flag” — was a name spoken with reverence inside China and almost unknown beyond it. The cars served chairmen and visiting dignitaries, gliding through Beijing in stately, hand-built procession. That heritage gives the brand something most of its Chinese rivals lack: a genuine, century-spanning claim to luxury rather than a price-led value story. The strategic question now is whether that pedigree translates when the badge meets sceptical, deeply loyal European buyers who already have the world’s finest cars at their dealerships.

Before we break down each model in detail, the short video review below offers a quick visual tour of the Hongqi luxury EV range and its push into European markets.

As the clip highlights, Hongqi pairs a genuine luxury heritage with competitive electric technology and aggressive pricing — the central themes we examine across the full Hongqi luxury EV review that follows.

From State Limousines to Electric Luxury: The Hongqi Story

Hongqi is the premium arm of First Automobile Works (FAW), China’s second-largest state-owned automaker. The brand’s modern reinvention began in earnest in 2018, when FAW recruited Giles Taylor — the British designer who previously shaped the Rolls-Royce Cullinan and Phantom — to lead its design direction. That hire was no accident. Taylor’s influence is visible in the imposing grilles, long bonnets and limousine proportions that define the current Hongqi range, and it signals exactly which corner of the market the company intends to occupy.

Crucially, Hongqi is not a newcomer to Europe. The brand quietly began overseas expansion in 2018 and has been selling electric vehicles in Scandinavian markets such as Norway, Sweden and Denmark for several years, later adding the Netherlands, Poland and Germany. The difference now is one of ambition. Hongqi has publicly committed to launching 15 electric and hybrid models across roughly 25 European markets by 2028, backed by a target of more than 200 dealerships. By early 2026, the company already operated a network of stores spread across more than two dozen countries, with a strong emphasis on local spare-parts availability — a detail that matters enormously for buyers who remember the patchy after-sales reputation that dogged earlier Chinese imports.

The Hongqi EV Range at a Glance

Hongqi’s European electric strategy is built around four core pillars, each aimed at a distinct slice of the premium market. Understanding how they relate to one another is the key to making sense of the brand’s pitch, because this is very much a coordinated range rather than a scattering of one-off models.

• Hongqi E-HS9 — the established full-size flagship SUV, a seven-seat statement piece rivalling the BMW X7 and Mercedes EQS SUV.
• Hongqi EH7 — a near-five-metre electric executive saloon positioned against the Tesla Model S and BMW i5.
• Hongqi EHS7 — a mid-to-large luxury SUV aimed squarely at the Tesla Model Y Performance and Audi Q6 e-tron.
• Hongqi EHS5 — a compact electric SUV unveiled at the 2025 Munich Motor Show, designed for younger, urban buyers.

Hongqi E-HS9: The Full-Size Flagship SUV

If any single model embodies Hongqi’s “Rolls-Royce of China” reputation, it is the E-HS9. At 5,209 mm long with a 3,110 mm wheelbase, it is a genuinely enormous vehicle — closer in footprint to a BMW X7 than to anything mid-sized — and it wears its bulk with the kind of upright, chrome-laden confidence that Taylor’s Cullinan work clearly inspired. Inside, the three-row, seven-seat cabin leans into ceremony, with reclining second-row chairs, a panoramic roof and a lounge-like rear that feels engineered for being driven rather than driving.

E-HS9 Specs and Performance

The E-HS9 launched in Europe with a choice of 84 kWh and 99 kWh battery packs, plus a larger 120 kWh option developed specifically for the European market. In its higher-output Exclusive form, twin permanent-magnet motors produce a combined 405 kW (around 551 hp) and 670 Nm of torque, hauling the roughly 2,700 kg SUV from 0–100 km/h in about 4.9 seconds before topping out at an electronically limited 200 km/h. The 99 kWh version is WLTP-rated at up to 465 km (289 miles), while the European-exclusive 120 kWh pack pushes the claimed figure higher still.

Underneath, the E-HS9 runs adaptive air suspension with double-wishbone front and multi-link rear geometry, electronically controlled dampers and an easy-entry function that lowers the body when a door opens. It is, in short, equipped like a proper luxury flagship. That said, prospective buyers should weigh one important caveat that we cover in the warning below — early Scandinavian owners reported a meaningful gap between advertised and real-world range, a reminder that headline numbers and lived experience do not always align.

Hongqi EH7: The Electric Executive Saloon

The EH7 is arguably the most important car in Hongqi’s European arsenal, because the executive saloon segment is precisely where German brands have built their reputations. Measuring 4.98 metres long with a three-metre wheelbase, the EH7 is sized to take on the Tesla Model S, BMW i5 and electric Mercedes E-Class, and its rounded, aerodynamic surfacing gives it a calmer, more grown-up presence than many of its flashier Chinese contemporaries.

Buyers can choose from 75, 85 and 111 kWh battery packs. The flagship 111 kWh long-range version claims up to 655 km (around 407 miles) on the WLTP cycle, a genuinely competitive figure for the class. Power runs from a single rear-mounted 253 kW motor in entry guise up to a dual-motor setup producing 455 kW (around 619 PS), which dispatches 0–100 km/h in roughly 3.5–3.9 seconds. With 250 kW DC fast charging, a 10–80 percent top-up takes about 20 minutes. Inside, a 15.5-inch central touchscreen driven by a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip anchors a deliberately asymmetric dashboard, paired with a slim digital instrument display.

Why the EH7 Matters

• Real-world-honest approach: Hongqi has publicly signalled a desire to publish realistic range figures rather than optimistic lab numbers.
• Limousine-grade rear legroom from the three-metre wheelbase, a rare luxury at this price point.
• Genuinely fast charging and competitive range that remove the usual “Chinese EV compromise” asterisks.

Hongqi EHS7: The Family-Focused Luxury SUV

The EHS7 is the EH7’s high-riding sibling and, for many European families, it will be the most practical entry point into the range. Sold in China as the Tiangong 08, it measures 4,925 mm long with the same three-metre wheelbase, delivering the kind of rear-seat space that turns school runs and long holidays into comfortable affairs. It targets the Tesla Model Y Performance and Audi Q6 e-tron, a fiercely contested part of the market.

Mechanically, the EHS7 shares much with the saloon. The dual-motor AWD Pro variant delivers up to 455 kW (619 hp) and 756 Nm, with a 0–100 km/h time of 3.9 seconds. Battery options span 85 kWh and 111 kWh, with WLTP range reaching around 540 km in the punchy all-wheel-drive version and considerably more in single-motor form. Hongqi makes much of the EHS7’s battery engineering: a reinforced honeycomb structure, aerospace-grade thermal insulation, an IPX8 waterproof rating and cold-weather chemistry that the company says retains near-full capacity at -10°C and around 90 percent at -20°C — claims that should resonate strongly with Nordic and Alpine buyers.

Hongqi EHS5: The Compact Newcomer

Unveiled at the 2025 Munich Motor Show, the EHS5 broadens the range downward into the busy compact-SUV class. FAW design chief Giles Taylor described it as more dynamic and youthful than its larger siblings, positioning it for urban and suburban families and single drivers. It pairs an 85 kWh battery with a WLTP range of around 550 km (342 miles) and 10–80 percent fast charging in roughly 20 minutes. In China it offers 339 hp rear-wheel-drive and 610 hp all-wheel-drive options. Notably, Hongqi confirmed that several upcoming models — beginning in the final quarter of 2026 — will be underpinned by an EV platform supplied through a partnership with Leapmotor, signalling a faster, more cost-efficient product cadence ahead.

Hongqi EV Range: Specs Comparison

To put the line-up in perspective, the table below summarises the headline figures for Hongqi’s main European electric models. Figures reflect the most capable European-market variants where available, and real-world results will naturally vary with climate, load and driving style.

How Hongqi Stacks Up Against European Rivals

On paper, the value proposition is compelling. The EH7 and EHS7 opened European pre-sales at around the €50,000 mark — territory where a comparably specified Audi, BMW or Mercedes would offer less power, similar range and a far more conservative equipment list. The E-HS9, meanwhile, started at roughly €80,000 in Germany, undercutting the BMW X7 while offering three rows, air suspension and a flagship-grade cabin. For badge-agnostic buyers, the maths is hard to ignore.

Yet luxury is not won on spreadsheets alone. Established prestige brands sell residual-value confidence, dense service networks and decades of brand cachet that Hongqi cannot manufacture overnight. Reviewers who have driven the EHS7 prototype noted a genuinely premium European flavour to the design and ride, but also flagged the perennial uncertainties facing any new entrant: long-term reliability data, resale value and the depth of the dealer experience. Hongqi’s heavy investment in spare-parts availability and a growing dealer footprint is a direct, deliberate answer to those concerns.

Pricing and Availability Across Europe

Availability remains a moving target as Hongqi scales its network. The brand is established in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Poland and Germany, with broader coverage rolling out toward its 2028 goal of 25 markets. A right-hand-drive UK launch has been signalled for 2026, timed to allow for engineering conversion and dealer build-out. Because incentives, import duties and local taxes vary so widely across the continent, the smartest move for any buyer is to confirm current on-the-road pricing with a local Hongqi dealer rather than relying on launch figures alone.

For European buyers willing to look beyond the familiar three-pointed star and blue-and-white roundel, Hongqi presents one of the most intriguing propositions in the premium EV space: authentic luxury heritage, genuinely competitive technology and aggressive pricing, wrapped in design overseen by one of Rolls-Royce’s most celebrated alumni. The open questions are about trust and time — and those, only the market can answer.

FAQ: Hongqi Luxury EV Range in Europe

The Verdict: A Credible Luxury Challenger

Hongqi arrives in Europe with something none of its Chinese rivals can claim: a genuine, decades-deep luxury pedigree, now reimagined for the electric age and styled by a designer steeped in the very brands it hopes to unsettle. The EH7’s range and charging credentials are class-competitive, the EHS7 answers the family-SUV brief with conviction, the E-HS9 makes a bold flagship statement, and the EHS5 widens the net toward younger buyers. Pricing, in every case, is aggressive.

The reservations are equally real — unproven residuals, an after-sales network still finding its feet, and a brand name most Europeans cannot yet pronounce. But Hongqi is investing exactly where it needs to, and its newer cars suggest a company that has learned from early stumbles. For buyers prepared to back a rising challenger rather than a known quantity, the Hongqi luxury EV range deserves a genuine place on the shortlist.