What Is This Hongqi H7 Doing in Michigan?

Posted on Nov 25, 2021 in Editorials | 2 comments

TTAC reader Morpheus (who has an awesome name by any standard) sent in this shot of a Chinese limo driving around Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The Hongqi H7 isn’t built by some neo-capitalist Chinese outfit, either, as the brand has been in existence since 1958. It’s also properly presidential. Hongqi (which translates to Red Flag) has built limousines for The Party’s higher-up ranks in the past.

But why is it parading around Ann Arbor?

Morpheus said he caught a look at the car in the early morning. His wife was “unimpressed” by the Red Flag as it drove in the direction of a nearby Environmental Protection Agency facility nearby. However, as there’s no plan to bring the Chinese executive brand to America, EPA testing seems well off the mark.

However, there is one company in Ann Arbor that specializes in such vehicles.

“It’s known amongst auto industry insiders that BWI tests a lot of Taiwanese and Chinese cars in the Metro Detroit area,” spy photographer Brian Williams said.

Either way, the Hongqi isn’t what you would call pretty. Its headlights ape those used by Skoda in generations past, and the grille has a certain Chrysler 300-gone-Roller/Bentley vibe about it.

Behind that grille could be a 2.5- or 3.0-liter V6 sourced from Toyota, or a 2.0-liter turbo four-banger.

The Hongqi H7 costs about $60,000 USD.