Chinese car brand Hongqi, touted as ‘China’s Rolls-Royce’, to debut in Singapore in 2026

Premium Chinese car manufacturer Hongqi is set to make its Singapore debut in the first half of 2026.

Often touted as China’s answer to Rolls-Royce, Hongqi means “red flag” in Chinese and is a symbol of national pride as the carmaker is known for producing the state limousines used by Chinese President Xi Jinping and other Chinese dignitaries, heads of state and VIPs. It is also the country’s oldest and most expensive car brand, established by China’s state-owned FAW Group in 1958.

Spearheading Hongqi’s “eastern luxury” design philosophy is chief creative officer Giles Taylor, a British car designer and former chief designer at Rolls-Royce and Jaguar, after all.

As part of Hongqi’s ambitions to become a global brand, the company has embarked on expansion plans to establish its presence in Southeast Asia, Europe and Latin America. In Singapore, automotive industry titan Eurokars has been appointed the official dealer for Hongqi, which is also the distributor for Rolls-Royce, BMW, McLaren, Pagani and other mid-range to luxury car marques.

A dedicated showroom is slated to open at the Leng Kee Road automotive belt next year, alongside a line-up of vehicles featuring a mix of powertrain options, including two fully electric vehicles (EVs).

Three models will be introduced during the initial phase of Hongqi’s Singapore launch: The E-HS9, a fully-electric large sport utility vehicle (SUV) said to be priced around 590,000 yuan (US$82,200; S$105,413) and considered to be a competitor to the BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz GLE, as well as the G117, a premium mid-size SUV, and the E007, a fully-electric compact SUV unveiled at last year’s Beijing Auto Show. The latter two are brand new models currently under development.

In tandem with its international expansion, the company has also announced plans to ramp up its production capacity. It aims to launch 20 new models globally in the next five years, as well as sell 500,000 units this year, and produce 200,000 vehicles outside its home market annually by 2030.