Hongqi H9

Production stopped in 1981 and resumed in the mid-1990s. Today Hongqi sells saloons, SUVs and electric cars: more than 300,000 vehicles in 2021 and over 370,000 retail sales in 2023. Abroad it started in Dubai in 2018 and reached Norway in September 2021, Denmark in December 2022 and Sweden in January 2023.

In short

• Full-size rear-wheel-drive saloon, 5,137 mm long (H9+: 5,337 mm), unveiled January 2020, on sale in China since August 2020.
• Engines: 2.0-litre turbo with 48 V mild hybrid, 180–185 kW; 3.0-litre supercharged petrol engine with 208 kW, from 2024 248 kW.
• German version (ADAC): 180 kW (245 PS), 380 Nm, seven-speed dual-clutch, 0–100 km/h in 7.8 s, 230 km/h.
• German list price €69,995 for the H9 2.0T, listed from August 2025.

Hongqi H9 at a glance

A flagship for the brand

Hongqi chose a symbolic place for the H9: the car was unveiled in January 2020 in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, the building where China's parliament meets. Chinese sales began in August 2020, and the United Arab Emirates followed in December 2020 as the first export market. The H9 is a conventional saloon. Its engine sits at the front and drives the rear wheels.

The long H9+ was shown at Auto China 2020. Its wheelbase is 230 mm longer, at 3,290 mm, and the car is 5,337 mm long. Wikipedia EN gives two dates for its launch, 2021 and 10 May 2022, so the exact start is unclear.

Engines and performance

The two sources give slightly different figures for the 2.0T: Wikipedia EN lists 185 kW (252 PS), while the ADAC lists the German car at 180 kW (245 PS). For the German 2.0T the ADAC gives 0–100 km/h in 7.8 seconds, a top speed of 230 km/h and combined WLTP fuel consumption of 9.6 l/100 km with 220 g/km of CO2.

The supercharged 3.0-litre is the more powerful choice and is reserved for the top versions. With the 2024 facelift its output rose by 40 kW, and the dual-clutch gearbox gave way to an eight-speed automatic, which suits a heavy luxury car better at low speeds.

The 2024 facelift

Hongqi presented the revised H9 at Auto China on 25 April 2024. The main technical change was the stronger 3.0-litre engine with 248 kW and the new eight-speed automatic gearbox. The 2.0-litre turbo continued with its seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox.

Chinese sales

These figures are small next to Hongqi's total volume, which is now dominated by SUVs and electric models. The H9 serves above all as the brand's flagship saloon.

The H9 in Germany

The ADAC catalogue lists the H9 2.0T for Germany from August 2025 to February 2026. The car has the 1,989 cc four-cylinder with 180 kW (245 PS) and 380 Nm, rear-wheel drive and a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. It is 5,137 mm long, 1,904 mm wide and 1,493 mm high, weighs 1,875 kg in EU kerb condition and has a 62-litre tank. The ADAC describes the H9 as a luxury saloon with high-quality materials, a digital cockpit and extensive driver-assistance systems.

No Euro NCAP result for the H9 appears in the sources. In the German ADAC catalogue the H9 sits beside four other Hongqi ranges: the E-HS9, EH7, EHS7 and HS5. Of these, Wikipedia EN describes the E-HS9 as a full-size battery-electric SUV and the HS5 as a mid-size SUV.

The price is the German list price from the ADAC catalogue.

Who the H9 suits and its rivals

The H9 offers the size of a full luxury saloon at a lower list price than the established German cars. With 3,060 mm between the axles, rear-seat space is its main asset, and the H9+ adds another 230 mm. The open questions for European buyers are the small dealer network, resale values and service. Readers who want the classic benchmark of the class can compare it with the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, and the compare section puts the dimensions of large saloons side by side. The power converter turns the kW figures above into PS or hp. Other models of the brand are in the Hongqi catalogue, and the parent group's cars are in the FAW catalogue.

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