Hongqi to reclaim role as official ride?

New Hongqi sedans made by FAW Group are likely to be used as standard ministerial-level officials cars as part of government demonstration efforts, according to recent Chinese-language media reports.

Once the premium vehicle used by national leaders, the Hongqi lost its shine and halted production in the 1980s due to high fuel consumption and costs.

In the 1990s, FAW resumed production of the Hongqi using foreign technologies and continued to roll out new models in the 2000s. Yet the brand never really succeeded.