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.”
While that design DNA is key, Taylor also sees innovation as a strength of Chinese brands and recognises an appetite for it.
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Aussierob
Couldn’t be any uglier than a Cullinan
Oh, wait...
Robbo
A view from Down Under
Hughbl
In fairness
It's not - the black badge variant of the Cullinan is far worse.
abkq
Don't like the grille
Would like to see more of its profile and back view. But the single image shows a much more successful design than the cullinan.
289
I am pleased....
..... that Giles Taylor has moved to some Chinese Brand never heard of in the civilised world. Means tha we wont have him ruining RR anymore with carbuncle's like the Culinan.
The Chines seem to have a taste for ugliness, let them keep it there along with BMW's 'gross grilles'.
So 'Honky' or whatever you call yourself, good luck to you....cant see the likes of Alan Sugar handing in their Phantoms for a set of Honky keys somehow - they would be laughed out of the Boardroom!!
Robin France
Chines Rolls competitor ?
I started to go to mainland China for my company in 1982. There was a car then called the Hongshe. That's what it sounded like anyway , apologies for the spelling.
i'm sure it means 'peoples car'. Only for high party officials. It was a copy of an early 50's American full size sedan. apparently they only made a few each year.
I wonder if this car is today's equivalent. Perhaps .
scanie
Unknown China...
Hong Qi means Red Flag and not "Volkswagen". I never visited China nor learned chinese...
Peter Cavellini
What.!
April the first already?!
lambo58
Really?
Really?
As opposed to our car industry. Gawd, what am I talking about?
We dont have one. All owned by other countires.
Just assemblers of other peoples cars.
Blah, blah blah
jonboy4969
lambo58 wrote:
Really... ALL owned by foreign companies - ahhh, i see you know exactly what you are BLAH BLAH BLAHing about, because you clearly have no idea.
lambo58
The great defender of the JLR
The great defender of the JLR group owned by Indians who take the piss on prople like you who do nothing but dine od ashes.
Just cant see or call it as it is.
Pathetic
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