Hongqi: owner, models, markets and what the name means
Facts checked United States status as of 4 September 2026
- State-owned
- SZSE 000800
- SSE 600742
- SZSE 002232
Hongqi is the oldest Chinese passenger car brand. FAW built the first one, the CA72, at Changchun in August 1958, and for decades it was not a product at all: the cars went to state institutions and party leadership, about 202 CA72s were built before the CA770 replaced it in 1965, and ordinary buyers could not have one.
The brand was reset in 2018 with a new strategy and a product plan split into series - H for mainstream cars, HS for SUVs, E for electric models, L for the ultra-luxury Golden Sunflower cars, and Q for people carriers. Sales have grown every year since, reaching 460,063 in 2025, of which 149,000 were new energy vehicles. FAW has set a 550,000 target for 2026.
Export is recent and mostly European and Middle Eastern. Hongqi reached the United Arab Emirates in December 2018, Saudi Arabia in December 2020, Norway in September 2021, Vietnam and Israel in 2022, Denmark in December 2022, Sweden in January 2023 and Indonesia in August 2026, and shipped its first 600 EH7 and EHS7 electric cars to Europe in November 2024. Its own site runs country pages for more than 25 markets.
Hongqi is not sold in the United States and none of the sources consulted for this entry show a US launch plan.
Key facts
| Chinese name | 红旗 “HOONG-chee” red flag, or red banner |
|---|---|
| Also written | Red Flag, HONGQI and FAW Hongqi |
| Owner | FAW Group |
| Founded | 1958 |
| Headquarters | Changchun, China |
| Origin | China |
| First car | Hongqi CA72, 1958 |
| Vehicles | Cars |
| Segment | Luxury |
| United States | Never sold in the United States — Hongqi has no US dealer network and no US-market models; the sources consulted show no US launch plan. |
| Official site | www.hongqi-auto.com |
| Sales, 2025 | 460,063 vehicles, up 11.7% year on year, an eighth straight year of growth |
| New energy vehicle sales, 2025 | 149,000 vehicles, up 29.8% |
| Golden Sunflower ultra-luxury sales, 2025 | 1,404 vehicles |
| Sales target, 2026 | 550,000 vehicles, with a stated ambition to pass one million by 2028 |
| First car | CA72, built 1 August 1958; about 202 were made before the CA770 replaced it |
| Export network, November 2024 | 28 countries and regions, with a first shipment of 600 EH7 and EHS7 cars to Europe |
Who owns Hongqi?
State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council owns FAW Group at 100% since 2003.
FAW has been state-owned since it was founded in 1953; SASAC, created in 2003, is the State Council body that has held the state's shareholding since then.
The full ownership page for Hongqi · Is Hongqi Chinese?
Hongqi models
| Model | Name in China | Body | Powertrain | Range | Price in China |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 红旗E-HS9Hongqi E-HS9 | 红旗E-HS9 | SUV | Battery-electric | 760 km CLTC | CNY 509,800 as of |
| 红旗EH7Hongqi EH7 | 红旗EH7 | Saloon | Battery-electric | 600 km CLTC | CNY 229,800 as of |
| 红旗H9Hongqi H9 | 红旗H9 | Saloon | Petrol or diesel | not published | CNY 309,800 as of |
Where Hongqi is sold
Recorded in 16 market s: CN, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, QA, Norway, Sweden, DK, Netherlands, Germany, PL, United Kingdom, Israel, Vietnam, Thailand, SG and Indonesia. Where a company publishes only its principal markets, that is a floor and not a complete list.
| Country | Code | Market page |
|---|---|---|
| China | CN | no page yet |
| United Arab Emirates | AE | Chinese cars in the United Arab Emirates |
| Saudi Arabia | SA | Chinese cars in Saudi Arabia |
| Qatar | QA | no page yet |
| Norway | NO | Chinese cars in Norway |
| Sweden | SE | Chinese cars in Sweden |
| Denmark | DK | no page yet |
| Netherlands | NL | Chinese cars in the Netherlands |
| Germany | DE | Chinese cars in Germany |
| Poland | PL | no page yet |
| United Kingdom | GB | Chinese cars in the United Kingdom |
| Israel | IL | Chinese cars in Israel |
| Vietnam | VN | Chinese cars in Vietnam |
| Thailand | TH | Chinese cars in Thailand |
| Singapore | SG | no page yet |
| Indonesia | ID | Chinese cars in Indonesia |
Hongqi: questions people ask
- Is Hongqi Chinese?
- Yes. Hongqi is the luxury brand of FAW Group, a central state-owned enterprise based at Changchun in Jilin province. It has been Chinese-owned since it was created in 1958.
- What does Hongqi mean?
- 红旗 (Hóngqí) means 'red flag'. The name and the flag-shaped badge come from the revolutionary imagery of 1958, the year the first car was built.
- Who owns Hongqi?
- FAW Group, which is owned by the Chinese state through SASAC, the State Council's asset-supervision commission.
- Can you buy a Hongqi in Europe?
- Yes, in several countries. Hongqi entered Norway in 2021, Denmark in 2022 and Sweden in 2023, and shipped its first electric models to Europe in November 2024. Its own website runs country pages for Germany, Poland, Sweden, Norway and the United Kingdom among others.
- Is Hongqi sold in the US?
- No. There is no US dealer network and no US-market Hongqi, and the sources consulted for this entry show no plan to start.
Related
Sources for Hongqi
- Hongqi (FAW Group), Brand. Read . Official brand page: 1958 birth of the brand, the 2018 reset, the L/S/H/Q series, and the list of country sites
- Wikipedia, Hongqi (marque). Read . CA72 date and production number, model series, dated export-market entries
- Gasgoo, FAW Hongqi 2025 sales reach 460,063 vehicles, up 11.7% year on year. Read . Published 5 January 2026
- Gasgoo, FAW's Hongqi targets 550,000 sales in 2026. Read . Published 22 January 2026
- Hongqi (FAW Group), Hongqi Ships First Batch of 600 EH7 and EHS7 Models to Europe. Read . November 2024 shipment and the 28-country network. Title and figures were read from search results quoting this page; the page body was not fetched