Written by / Windsor
Editor/ Zhang Nan
Design / Shi Yuchao
After the sales soared, Hongqi really wanted to "go to heaven" this time.
"Today, the Red Flag People and the Astronauts jointly put forward an imagination, an ideal, and a goal, that is, we must let the Red Flag Vehicle represent the Chinese explore space, go to the moon, and go to Mars." Wu Zhijian, chairman of the China Space Foundation, said.
On April 24, the seventh "China Space Day", the new Hongqi flagship vehicle LS7 was officially unveiled and opened for pre-sale. On the same day, FAW Hongqi officially opened its space cooperation with China and became a "strategic partner of China's aerospace industry", jointly demonstrating the strength of a major country.
Just 8 days ago, the Shenzhou XIII manned spacecraft successfully landed, setting a record for the fastest return of the Shenzhou spacecraft to Earth. In recent years, China has made remarkable achievements in manned spaceflight, large aircraft, high-speed rail and other fields, which together constitute a rising Chinese force.
If it is said that in wartime, China's absolute strength is the army, then in peacetime, China's strength is the red flag raised in the sports arena and the hard power of all walks of life.
Automobiles have always been the world's largest industry, and the strength of the automobile industry is a bellwether of a country's manufacturing level. As the world's largest automobile consumer market, in the past 100 years of automotive development, Chinese cars have always played the role of followers, and the lack of brand advantages and core technologies is the death of Chinese brands.
Finally, with the accumulation of quantity, Chinese cars have ushered in a qualitative breakthrough. On the Hongqi LS7, the new Hongqi shows the highest standards of Chinese design and Chinese manufacturing. Speaking with works, this is the confidence and determination of Chinese cars, and the red flag LS7 in the center of the stage seems to be silently expressing that China's rise is not just talk.
Chinese automobiles and China Aerospace stand shoulder to shoulder and hold hands, truly reflecting the scientific and technological and manufacturing strength of a country.
Chen Xu, general manager of FAW Hongqi Automobile Sales Co., Ltd., said sonorously, "FAW Hongqi and China Aerospace are writing a new chapter of their dreams for the Chinese people with independent Chinese strength. Taking this cooperation as an opportunity, FAW Hongqi is determined to fully support the aerospace industry and join hands with China Aerospace to share the responsibility of industrial power and science and technology rejuvenation, so that the dream of automobiles, flying dreams, aerospace dreams and strong countries can converge into a common Chinese dream. ”
The hard-core strength of the New Red Flag LS
No brand is more representative of China than Hongqi.
In 2018, Chinese cars entered an inflection point, turning downward after more than 30 years of sustained growth. In the stock market, Chinese brands began to collectively soar, under the siege of Chinese and foreign brands, in the luxury car market surrounded by strong enemies, the new red flag stood out.
Since the release of the new Hongqi brand strategy in 2018, Hongqi has created a miracle of 63 times sales growth in 4 years, drawing a "strong" growth trajectory in the downward market, showing the resilient side of Chinese automakers. Up to now, the number of Hongqi car owners has reached nearly 700,000, and they are running at high speed on the road from "national car" to "national car".
This time, the new Red Flag LS7, which is also represented by "China Power" with China Aerospace, has created a new record of independent brands striving for progress at multiple core levels, achieving a new leap forward in independent technology, and a number of technologies have reached the international leading level, showing a hard-core side.
As the first full-size SUV of its own brand, the appearance of the new Hongqi LS7 is based on the aesthetics of "Shang Zhi Yi" as the core, and has the red flag aesthetic of "Huaxia Etiquette". The front face maintains the latest large-area vertical waterfall grille design of the Hongqi family, full of silver chrome embellishments, looking solemn and very imposing.
Opening the doors, the new Hongqi LS7 uses a large number of mahogany pattern panels and leather wraps, supplemented by gold-rimmed decoration. The steering wheel incorporates a classic retro design, and the upper part of the door is also wrapped in ornate mahogany decoration, showing the top pursuit of "Chinese new noble sophistication" in the details.
In terms of body size, the new Hongqi LS7 has a body length of 5.7 meters, a body width of more than 2 meters, a wheelbase of 3.3 meters, and two choices: a six-seat version and a four-seat version. This is perhaps the largest model mass-produced by the Hongqi brand and even China's own brands so far.
What is more worth mentioning is that the new Hongqi LS7 far exceeds the special level of protection of ordinary passenger cars, and the independent chip "China Core" equipped with "national secret algorithm" for the first time in China has created a "triple defense" information firewall to guard personal safety and information security with the highest security level.
In the powertrain, the new car is equipped with a 4.0T V8 engine, with a maximum power of 265 kW, a peak torque of 500 Nm, and an acceleration of 9.1 seconds per 100 km/h. In terms of transmission, it is matched by an 8-speed automatic transmission from ZF. In the future, the new Hongqi LS7 will also launch the internationally pioneered combination of "V8TD extreme energy-saving power" and "super new energy power".
In order to further highlight the user's exclusive identity, the new Hongqi LS7 will present users with a variety of elegant aesthetic color schemes for appearance and interior for personalized selection. At the same time, hongqi craftsmen's personally painted waistline, interior clocks, rear row exclusive configuration and other exclusive luxury customization services with oriental aesthetic style will also be launched.
"We must get the national brand up", in 2020, when the national leaders inspected the R&D Institute of China FAW Group in Jilin Province, they stressed that "we must set this ambition", the competition in the entire manufacturing industry is fierce, the danger is more organic, and the key technologies and core technologies must be mastered in their own hands.
In addition to the exterior interior, the new Hongqi LS7 self-developed core electronic control system software and hardware, with completely independent intellectual property rights, has become another milestone product of the brand. For the brand, the flagship model contributes not only to sales, but also to the most advanced technology, showing muscle while leading the future development of the company, in the new Hongqi LS7, an increasingly hardcore Chinese car brand jumped on the paper.
With the rise of great powers, China's forces are united
"FAW Hongqi and China Aerospace were also born in that fiery era, are outstanding representatives of independent science and technology and our Chinese strength, and are also pioneers and builders of our Chinese dream." When it comes to why it joined forces with China Aerospace, Chen Xu explained.
In 1956, China's first rocket and missile research institute was established by Qian Xuesen, which was considered to be the first year of China's missile dream and space dream, and thus opened the prelude to the new China's aerospace industry. Also in the 1950s, in 1953, China's first automobile manufacturing plant laid the foundation in Changchun, in 1956 China's first automobile liberation in Changchun off the production line, in 1958 the first high-end car Hongqi was born, riding on the spring breeze of the rejuvenation and rise of the great motherland, China's automobile industry began a glorious course.
More than 60 years later, when China's aerospace heroes shine in the vast space, the new red flag is also working hard for the Chinese people to realize the dream of wonderful travel and a better life step by step, this time, the two have joined hands again.
After FAW Hongqi signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the China Aerospace Foundation, FAW Hongqi officially became a "Strategic Partner of China's Aerospace Industry". In the next 10 years, FAW Hongqi will present Hongqi's senior automobile to all aerospace meritorious figures who have won the "Qian Xuesen Highest Achievement Award", and promote a series of innovative measures for in-depth cooperation to help China's aerospace industry create new brilliance with industrial strength.
In the eyes of the new red flag, the outstanding achievements of China's aerospace industry are a true portrayal of the strength of the country, which is highly consistent with the mission of the national car hongqi. Hand in hand to promote the upward movement of the industry, determined to carry forward the national self-confidence, this strategic cooperation, highlights faw hongqi's firm belief in bravely shouldering the heavy responsibility of national independent and self-reliant development.
Wherever there is Chinese power, there is a new red flag. Before China's spaceflight, China FAW and New Hongqi fully supported the development of China's sports industry.
At the Winter Olympics, which ended in March, China FAW deepened its strategic cooperation with the State General Administration of Sport, and FAW Hongqi once again promised to present hongqi H9 honor vehicles to athletes who won medals at the Beijing Winter Olympics. Previously, FAW Hongqi has decided to donate cars to nearly 100 Olympic champions; the first domestically produced Hongqi snowmobile developed and manufactured by China FAW United Aerospace Science and Technology was officially delivered to the Winter Transportation Center, ending the long history of snowmobile equipment being monopolized by foreign brands.
From Olympic champions to Chinese astronauts, the new red flag continues to unite the Chinese strength in the new era, take the feelings of home and country as its own responsibility, bravely shoulder the burden of industrial power, compose a magnificent blueprint for the vigorous development of China's industry, and strive endlessly to realize the dream of great national rejuvenation.
The start of 2022 is not smooth, the complex international situation, chip shortages, raw material price increases, and epidemic troubles may become variables affecting the automobile market, but the more the moment of change, the more it tests the viability of enterprises and the ability of the country to innovate.
At this critical moment, New Hongqi studied hard, down-to-earth, sought innovation and change, and joined hands with China Aerospace and Chinese sports to soar, injecting strong confidence into the development of Chinese brands, pointing out the direction of strength, and winning a bright future for itself.
"During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, Hongqi will work hard, master the core technology, strive to sell more than one million, and stand firm in the No. 1 of China's luxury automobile market." Chen Xu once again set up the Flag. Unlike four years ago, this time, almost no one questioned the new red flag because it had already done wonders.
This article was originally produced by Automotive Business Review
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