Rolls-Royce could soon come under pressure at the top end of the luxury market from a little-known Chinese brand.
Domestic-focused car maker Hongqi, which in 2018 poached Rolls-Royce design chief Giles Taylor, is planning an attack on the pinnacle of luxury motoring that will eventually go global.
As part of the FAW Group, one of China’s biggest car manufacturers, Hongqi aims to achieve this by leveraging a rich cultural and historical heritage that includes building official government limousines such as the popular L5 (below).
Now settled into his role as global vice-president of design and chief creative officer in Munich, Taylor told Autocar of plans to build a flagship luxury car that would target affluent Chinese buyers who would traditionally aspire to own a Rolls-Royce. “We’re picking up young customers with extreme wealth – they want to buy Chinese,” said Taylor of the Hongqi brand, which was revived last year.
But, Taylor insists, rather than cloning Rolls-Royce, any Hongqi flagship designed under his stewardship will have its own distinct identity.
“We have to find a new Chinese, innovative and digital way of crafting new Hongqi vehicles that stand alone,” he said, so they cannot be “accused of being a copy of Rolls-Royce. We’re not going to do that.”
Taylor cited Chinese culture as the inspiration for a new brand identity, and confidently added that Hongqi “will become the number-one luxury brand in China”.
He added: “I think there’s a richness in the Chinese culture, whether it’s through ancient sculpture, fashion, calligraphy – there’s a rich mine to tap into to bring not just a Western answer, but a Chinese answer.”
Join the debate
Add your comment
Spares
Imagine trying to get anything repaired on one. With such a low volume vehicle, it would be a nightmare outside of China. I think in reality, we would have to see Chinese cars in general last longer than just a couple of years before falling apart to get a general consensous that what they build can be durable.
Really?
Own a Chinese car do you?
The L5...
...reminds me of an Austin 1100
TS7 wrote:
Sorry, looks nothing like the ADO16 - more like the A110 the luxury barge from Austin (but far far far superior in VdP livery)
I don’t see how this brand can go global...
Man 1: "What car do you drive?"
Man 2: "A white Hongqi"
Man 1 "Okaaay then".
Think back to the same
Eh..nope.
This is way uglier than a Tesla....don't think your going to see World leaders ditching there home product for something that looks like it was made by a five year old with some playdoh...!
Talk about missing the point
Talk about missing the point completely...
Nothing new there.
Snob
Get back to your Chinese owned Merc and Chinese built Ipad.