After being introduced in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, and the Netherlands, the Chinese luxury brand Hongqi, the ‘Royal Warrant Holder’ to Chinese President Xi Jinping, will cross the Belgian border in October.

The first model on sale is Hongqi’s E-HS9, a large six or seven-seat SUV with 551 horsepower and a range of up to 515 km (WLTP). The base price is €69 995.

The Hongqi E-HS9 resembles a Rolls Royce variant of an SUV with its 5,2-meter length and majestic grill in front. That resemblance is not coincidental, as the Hongqi brand of the Chinese state-owned FAW Group, already existing since 1958, was always meant to be a competitor to Rolls Royce or Lincoln for high-ranking Chinese servants.

Sixth European country

In its homeland, Hongqi offers four luxury (ICE) ‘limo’ sedans and two SUVs, plus two EVs, the E-HS9 SUV and the E-QM5 sedan. Production grew exponentially from 20 000 cars in 2018 to 300 000 in 2022. Belgium being the sixth European country to launch the brand, is no coincidence.

In Belgium, Hongqi will be sold by the Swedish Hedin Mobility Group, which already sells the brand in the Netherlands via Stern, the Dutch daughter of Hedin.

Hedin Automotive BeNeLux is directed by Eddy Haesendonck, who was BMW Belux’s CEO for over seven years. He started his career at BMW in 1997 as After Sales Manager Motor Cycles and only left BMW after 25 years.

Brussels, Antwerp, and Ghent

In Belgium, Hedin is selling Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, and Lexus today and is also the exclusive importer of the INEOS Grenadier. It will start to offer the Chinese Hongqi E-HS9 in Belgium via Hedin dealerships in the major cities of Brussels, Antwerp, and Ghent from October 30th.

The Hongqi E-HS9 will be offered in three ‘flavors’, all 4WD, starting with a ‘Business’ version with 436 hp and a battery capacity of 84 kWh, good for 396 km (WLTP). The ‘Executive’ promises a range of 465 km WLTP, with 551 hp and a 99 kWh battery pack.

Top of the line is the ‘President’ with air suspension added, the same 551 hp of power, but a more extensive battery of 120 kWh, providing a range of 515 km. There is an onboard 11 kW AC charger and the possibility to DC fast-charge up to 140 kW.

The exact prices for Belgium have not been communicated yet. Still, in the Netherlands, Hedin charges roughly 10 000 euros extra for each ‘upgrade’, from €69 995 for Business, over €79 995 for the Executive, up to €89 995 for the President standard range and €102 995 for the long-range version with 120 kWh battery.

The Chinese 5,2-meter long limo-SUV, 2 010 mm wide and  1 713 mm high is not lightweight: 2 585 up to 2 735 kg. Yet it is pretty fast, like most EVs, with acceleration times from 0 to 100 km/hour of 6,9 and 4,9 seconds.

Depending on the version, it comes with all luxury standards, including wood inlays, two or three touch screens spanning the dashboard, ventilated leather massage seats, and a panoramic roof. Only the towing hook is an option.