With the ongoing global pandemic, new vehicle launches at Auto China were slim pickings. Still, you have to hand it over to the Chinese manufacturers to come up with some rather unexpected laughs. One of the oddities launched is this: the Hongqi E-HS9—a luxury SUV designed in the same vein as the Rolls-Royce Cullinan.
Copying Rolls-Royce isn’t something new for Chinese manufacturers as a handful have looked at Goodwood’s finest for inspiration. What sets this Hongqi apart is that they actually hired Rolls-Royce’s former designer to pen the E-HS9.
Size-wise, it’s about the same size as the BMW X7, and get this, it’s powered purely by electric power. According to Hongqi, there are two versions, both featuring all-wheel drive. The lower spec variant features two motors (one at the front, and one at the back) good for a combined 430 horsepower. The top-spec version though boosts that output to true Cullinan levels: 544 horsepower (215 at the front, and 328 at the rear).
In terms of performance, this zero emissions SUV can do the 100 km/h sprint in about 4 seconds, and it can do about 480 kilometers on a single charge. Oh, and despite looking a bit like Rolls-Royce, don’t expect the E-HS9 to be cheap. Prices start at P 3.87 million and tops out at around P 4.84 million based on prevailing exchange rates.
What do you think of the Hongqi E-HS9?
4.9m to ride like a rolls owner and full electric, not bad. Rolls is beyond the reach of most rich only the super rich can afford.
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