AutoBeta(AutoBeta.net)03/26 Report--

On March 26, FAW Hongqi H6, a brand new medium-sized car, officially opened its pre-sale. A total of new models were launched with a pre-sale price range of-10,000 yuan. It is understood that the Red Flag H6 is equipped with 2.0T high-power engines and is expected to go on sale at the Shanghai International Auto Show in April.

In terms of appearance, the front face of Red Flag H6 basically continues the iconic overall design of the Red Flag brand, both sides of the front grille become more sturdy, and the internal texture adopts lattice layout, together with the slender LED headlights and front bars on both sides, which makes the whole front look more athletic and younger. Compared with the new red flag H5, the front grille of the red flag H6 is lower and looks lower, and vertical LED light strips are added on both sides of the front grille, and matrix LED lattice light is also used in the headlight group. In addition, the rib line of the engine hatch is raised, and the central red flag sign extends back from the grille, which is very imposing.

The side of the car body is different from the design style of other red flag models, although it retains the style of straight window line, but the side waistline protruding adds a lot of color to it, using large slip back and two-color body color. and in the front wing behind the design on behalf of the red flag brand red trim to enhance the sense of movement of the whole vehicle. In the rear part of the car, the red flag H6 taillight group is still a penetrating shape, the taillight group is a double-layer layout, and the left and right side lamp groups are L-shaped. As a brand new coupe, the Red Flag H6 uses a hatchback rear door design, with electric opening function, and is equipped with a rear car curtain and LED trunk lighting. In addition, the Red Flag H6 is equipped with a total of double exhaust shape, the exhaust tail section is chrome plating treatment, the overall sense of movement is stronger. In terms of size, the length, width and height of the new car are 4990/1880/1455mm and wheelbase 2920mm respectively.

In terms of interior decoration, the central control layout of the Red Flag H6 basically continues from the new Red Flag H5 H5, which occupies the C position on the 12.6-inch vertical central control screen, while some physical keys are retained under the screen, and the 12.3-inch full liquid crystal dashboard will not be absent, creating a strong sense of science and technology. Below in the central channel area is the electronic shift mechanism and the choice of driving mode, and the rear central handrail is equipped with a mobile phone wireless charging panel. The overall configuration and H5 should be at the same level. However, compared with the new Red Flag H5, the Red Flag H6 does improve the sports atmosphere by adding more sporty elements to the details, such as a flat-bottomed steering wheel with a pick, a color trim and a decorative board imitating carbon fiber.

In terms of power, the Hongqi H6 carries a 2.0T high-power engine with a tail marked "45TD". The maximum power of the engine is 185kW, the peak torque is 380N ·m, and the transmission system matches the 8-block self-integrated gearbox. For comparison, the new Hongqi H5 (2.0T low power) maximum power 165kW, peak torque 340N ·m, matched with an 8-block self-contained transmission; Hongqi H9 (2.0T high power) maximum power 185kW, peak torque 380N ·m, matched with a 7-block double-clutch transmission. To sum up, the future Red Flag H6 is also expected to provide 2.0T low-power version, the tail mark may be "40TD", and the overall parameters are similar to those of Red Flag H5.

Judging from the product performance of Red Flag H6, in fact, its body size is basically the same as that of the new Red Flag H5, and both are located in medium-sized sedans, but due to the styling treatment of sliding back and hatchback, Red Flag H6 has a coupe style. it can also be simply understood as a sedan version derived from the new Red Flag H5. As a reference, the official price of the new Red Flag H5 (2.0T low power) is 17.98-215800 yuan, while the Red Flag H6 is equipped with a 2.0T high-power engine, coupled with the positioning of its sedan model, it is expected to sell above the new Red Flag H5, or 20-250000 yuan.

Hongqi H6's competitors mainly focus on domestic models of overseas brands, including Buick Regal GS (21.08-249800 yuan) and Ford Mondeo (15.98-218800 yuan) which have good sales in the medium-sized car market. By contrast, the Red Flag H6 is more athletic and carries the same 2.0T engine as the Red Flag H9. However, the final pricing is the key to whether the Red Flag H6 can become a dark horse for medium-sized cars.

As we all know, Red Flag is a brand of China FAW. Sales have grown rapidly since the launch of a new brand strategy in 2016, making it a dark horse in the car market. After entering 2022, affected by the epidemic and the supply of spare parts, the strong sales trend of Red Flag began to relax, with insurance sales of 286000 vehicles for the whole year, an increase of 5.31% over the same period last year, compared with the previously proposed sales target of 400000 vehicles in 2022, the completion rate was only 72%.

According to the official website, FAW Red Flag is currently selling more than 10 models, but except for HS5 and H5, other models such as H9 and HS7 are not popular, especially when the automotive industry changes to the new energy track, it is also a big test for Red Flag, and the performance of new energy vehicles such as E-HS3 and E-QM5 is average.

According to the product planning of Red Flag, in addition to the new H6 mentioned above, models such as HS3 and HS6 will also be launched. The rich product lineup also strengthens the market competitiveness of FAW Red Flag, but it is also unknown how much market sales can be brought to Red Flag.

FAW is also ambitious for new energy vehicles. On January 8, 2023, FAW released the global strategy of Red Flag New Energy Brand. Xu Liuping said: "Red Flag Brand will promote the electrification of all models by All in New Energy." A more detailed goal is that the total sales of the Red Flag brand will reach 1 million by 2025, of which more than 500000 new energy vehicles will be sold. By 2030, the total sales of Red Flag brand will exceed 1.5 million, and new energy vehicles will become the main body of sales.

On February 23, Xu Liuping stepped down as chairman and party committee secretary of China first Automobile Group Co., Ltd., and was transferred to the all-China Federation of Trade unions as party secretary of the all-China Federation of Trade unions. Xu Liuping has been in charge of FAW Group for nearly six years, the drastic reform has brought obvious changes to FAW Group, driving into the track of steady development, and Red Flag brand has also become a second-tier luxury car brand in the market, but with Xu Liuping's promotion, FAW Group has not yet announced the next leader, and where Red Flag Brand will go.

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