Honghu (红湖)Automotive Co

Honghu


Heavily inspired by Hongqi, Guangzhou Honghu Automotive Co, formerly based in Beijing, is a Chinese luxury brand targeting the more nationalistic buyer. Its design language is ostentatious, with its most-modern vehicles bearing a large square grille and extravagant amounts of chrome. The utilization of red is a standard motif for their vehicles, with the red badge and occasional red trim around the window sills.

Honghus primarily sold in Asian countries, but have recently been opening their vehicles up to the international market.

Founded in the late 50s, Honghu built vehicles for government use, with luxury chariots for high-ranking government officials being their priority. The maiden ZX778 (IPR) would serve said government around that time.

In the present day, Honghu is alive and somewhat well due to the reputation of its badge in its country of origin. Despite not being as competitive as its German counterparts, Honghu still happily sails on as China’s waving flag in the automotive industry; a representation of what they are capable of.


Current Lineup

The current lineup consists of 5 cars. Notably, the Limited Production 8-series vehicles (88888888, 8^8 and 8x8) as well as the Mass Production vehicles (Beifeng, Yulin)

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2008 Honghu 88888888

With the presence of buyers interested in such vehicles, they eventually sold their vehicles to the public market, their Honghu 88888888 being the company’s flagship.

The 88888888 of the late 2000’s used a V12, as the rest of Honghu’s fleet would eventually use, and hit 60 mph in around 6 seconds.

Like the majority of the Honghu lineup, the 88888888 would sport a look of excess with its massive chrome grille at the front. The interior was lined with rosewood seen on antique Chinese furniture, with hints of jade in places such as the doorhandles and stereo controls.

The vehicle rode on air suspension, with thicker tires on 19-inch alloys softening the ride and catering to the preferences of the Chinese government.

That being, the vehicle was extensively used as the government’s official chariot, serving the chairman and other politicians on overseas trips.

The Honghu 88888888 was priced around $688 888 RMB (~135 000 Canadian dollars). Despite this premium, it sold relatively well in Chinese markets.

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2019 Honghu 8x8


Following the “glorious success” of the 88888888 was the Honghu 8x8; essentially the SUV variant of the infamous 88888888.

2019 Honghu 8x8, shown in Oriental Red Metallic

Like its sedan brother, the 8x8 was powered by a Jinhe-developed V12 producing roughly 505 horsepower. The large square grille would continue Honghu’s rather extravagant look and give the 8x8 the aggressive late 2010’s aesthetic that most other vehicles sported.

An offroad variant was created for the hell of it as a competitor to the Range Rover and G-Wagen.

The 8x8 and its variants would be propelled to 60 mph in roughly 5.5 seconds, while its price would be slightly higher than the 88888888

Ass

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Congrats for making my Ursula F5 700WX have massive competition lol.

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That is incredibly opulent; I wonder if any European manufacturers offered something similar on their flagship luxury cars as well?

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In Montes you can order marble, silk and exotic materials like this, for the Excelsior for example

Ok

Honghu @ Geneva

Geneva coverage on 2 new Honghu vehicles can be found here

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A Chariot for the Chairman (OBSOLETE)


Here’s the thing. I always thought the existing 3.0 m bodies in the game were kind of… well… stubby. When the Rolls-Royce body came out however, i rejoiced. This here is the 88888888L, the (fictional) chairman’s vehicle of choice.

Design


Heavily inspired by the Hongqi L5, the 88888888L aspires to capture the same extravagance as its real-life inspiration, achieved by its futuristic lighting and its rather excessive chrome grille. A large badge sits on top of the brand’s name in Chinese, while a hood ornament lays at the end of a chrome strip running across the hood.

The rear carries the same modern flow that the front possesses of through its heckblende taillight, while the lower fascia maintains the aggressive edges the front contain. The badging is smaller, allowing the long taillights to gather in most of the attention.

The sides are simply designed as well. The red Honghu badge is stamped at the rear quarter, flush with the C-pillar. Moving towards the front, an LED light runs from the front door down to the front fender, acting as a fully-functioning indicator and DRL at night. Flag holders are also equipped on each fender for the sake of flying the five stars.

Drivetrain


The 88888888L is not much different from the normal 88888888 drivetrain-wise. Both use the same 4.5 litre V12, AWD and an 8-speed automatic transmission. Although it may have a decently-sized V12 in it, the 88888888L is by no means fast. The vehicle weighs roughly 5400 pounds, and has a 0-60 time of 8 seconds.

Interior


The inside of the Chairman’s Honghu is nothing short of extravagant. Rosewood and jade trim separates all the leather inside the vehicle. The same wide screen from the Jinhe GC is seen on the 88888888L, while Jinhe’s AI-based avoidance system is also standard. The dashboard and switches are either lined with chrome or chrome altogether with the shifter being one large jade unit. A box on the passenger side holds a fake peony inside of it, symbolizing honor and high social class. The rear seats recline, giving the passenger a view out of the large sunroof typically used by the chairman to stand out of. A large rear screen contains satellite reception for television and built-in internet access. Live maps and an internet browser are also included into the system. (100 comfort in the game needs an explanation, right?)

The Chairman’s Safety


Alongside the aforementioned features derived from the Jinhe GC, the chairman’s edition of the 88888888L is rumoured to have fully bulletproof glass, explosives to eject the door in a crash, excess oxygen supplies, and various other equipment to keep the chairman alive by any means necessary. The craziest being the ability to fully fold the front passenger seat flat and recline the rear seat in order to create an impromptu stretcher. Signal jammers, tracking devices and an immobility system were also included under the scenario the vehicle may be stolen. As expected, civilian versions did not include these.


The 88888888L comes with an extravagant price tag, as expected. 2,888,888 CNY will buy the civilian version, while the Chairman’s own unit price is kept classified. Rumours do however say it costs quite a lot.

Gallery

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That front lower light bothers me a lot…

Those tiny LED strips can’t light up an entire road. Expect those gigantic things to do most of the work :wink:

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2020 Honghu 8x8


The Honghu 8x8 is redesigned for the 2020 year. Built on a similar platform as the limited production 88888888-series, the 8x8 delivers the same luxuries as the 88888888 tied in with the rugged heritage of the original X122028888 of the 70s. Like the 88888888, production is kept to a minimum, marketing towards the government and the upper percentile.

Design


The 8x8, unlike most other Honghus, is an independent design with little to no influences from real life models.

The front is large and imposing, with an LED strip connecting the ruby-lined doorhandles to a trailing chrome strip. LEDs are used often in the front fascia as well, at the foglights and inside the headlight itself.

The taillight is a single unit, with reverse lights integrated inside of the main lenses. The side windows are long, continuous pieces, hiding the existence of the C-pillar.

Drivetrain


Like the 88888888L the 8x8 uses a 4.5 litre V12, AWD and an 8-speed automatic transmission. Rumours suggest that Honghu is soon to switch over to a large 6 litre V12 in the future, the same one used in the 8^8.

Pricing


The 8x8 is expensive as expected, priced at around 2988888 RMB, the equivalent of roughtly $435 000 USD.

Big Image Dump Gallery idc

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Looks very modern. nice!

Honghu Mass-Production Series (2020 Beifeng & Yuji)


Developed as more ‘affordable’ luxury cars when compared to their bespoke 8-series counterparts, the Beifeng sedan and Yuji crossover offer the Chinese market nationalistic alternatives to other luxury vehicles, with the help of Honghu’s reputation in the country.


Honghu Beifeng - From CSR to Actual Lore

You might remember the Beifeng from CSR102 eh? Originally, it was supposed to be a one-time throwaway car, but after a while I gave it some thought then considered “Hey, Hongqi makes more than just the L5. They have the H-series sedans don’t they?” thus leading to the Beifeng being more than just a simple competition throwaway.

Design


The Beifeng aims to be sleek and sharp, with its thin headlights and edgy angles across the front fascia. The signature Honghu grille is applied alongside the typical large red badge and delta ornament. A thin strip of chrome lines the side.

The rear follows Honghu tradition with a heckeblende-style single light unit.

Drivetrain


The Beifeng gives users options between the Huangdou-built turbocharged 1.8 litre inline-4 (like the real-life Hongqi H5) or a Jinhe-developed turbocharged 3.0 litre V6 making 294 horsepower. Such V6 would take the Beifeing to 100 km/h in 7.7 seconds, far plenty for the Chinese market. The Beifeng was available only inall-wheel-drive, connected to an eLSD just like the Jinhe GC.

Interior & Technology


The Beifeng shares similar tech to the Jinhe GC, with the AI-assisted collision avoidance system coming standard. The interior compared to the 88888888L was as expected, not as luxurious, but still offered ample comfort for its class. Instead of using the widescreen Jinhe display, the Beifeng’s infotainment is a large vertical tablet-like screen making its way from top of dash down to the cupholders. Physical buttons were absent in the centre console, however most functions could be controlled via. the steering wheel.

Pricing


The Honghu Beifeng is priced around 395 000 RMB, the equivalent of roughly $75 000 CAD.

Beifeng Gallery


Honghu Yuji

The Yuji, (Monsoon in Chinese) is very similar to the Beifeng, sharing the same tech, powerplant, and chassis as the Beifeng. Different is, it’s a crossover.

Design


The Yuji shares identical elements to the Beifeng, with the large badge and chrome grille, delta ornament, and similar but stretched lower fascia. An aluminum element however, is added in the lower part of the fascia which houses the cruise radar.

The rear is, as expected, similar to most Honghus with the single taillight unit. What sets the Yuji’s rear apart is its distinct lower fascia, given its aluminum-styled elements. The liftgate design is also unique to the Yuji, with an upper and lower portion able to open separately like the BMW X5.

Technology, Drivetrain, Everything Else.


Drivetrain, tech, etc. are all shared between the Yuji and the Beifeng. It’s really just the Beifeng but a crossover, not gonna lie.

Pricing


The Yuji can be picked up for a bit more than the Beifeng at roughly 420000RMB or $80 000 CAD.

Yuji Gallery


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Absolutely gorgeous!

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These look extremly nice and detailed. Good job.

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A Chariot for the Chairman (But Updated!)


The old concept looked like shit, so I made a challenge for you guys to redesign the Honghu, and using your ideas has lead to this. Shoutout @On3CherryShake, you’ve influenced the final design a ton!

Design


Like the old concept, the newest rendition of the Honghu focuses primarily on three aspects; Opulence, technology and Feng Shui. The front is now more fleshed-out, with larger headlamps, a cleaner fascia design, and a signature red strip cutting across the new square badge.

The rear carries the same modern flow of the front. The old horizontal double heckeblende design has now been replaced with a “waterfall taillight” unit. Its smaller LED units are meant to move ever-so-slightly upwards when the vehicle is braking, emulating a… reverse waterfall?

The sides have been cleaned up significantly, with a single chrome strip lining the bottom of the vehicle. Molding has been utilized to connect the suicide doorhandles with the indicator unit.

Small red LEDs are placed at the bottom of the B-pillar, both for decoration and extra safety when exiting the vehicle. The flagholders still prevail, as per Honghu fashion.

Drivetrain


The 4.5 litre V12 has now been replaced with a larger 6.0 litre V8 which can also be found in the 8^8. AWD and a 9-speed automatic transmission are both standard, and with more power, the newest rendition of the 88888888 can now hit 60 mph in 6.5 seconds - an improvement from its concept’s 8 second 0-60 time.

Interior


The interior is relatively similar to the concept rendition. Rosewood and jade trim separates all the leather inside the vehicle. The same wide screen from the Jinhe GC is seen on the 88888888, while Jinhe’s AI-based avoidance system is also standard. The dashboard and switches are either lined with chrome or chrome altogether with the shifter being one large jade unit. A box on the passenger side holds a fake peony inside of it, symbolizing honor and high social class. The rear seats recline, giving the passenger a view out of the large sunroof typically used by the chairman to stand out of. A large rear screen contains satellite reception for television and built-in internet access. Live maps and an internet browser are also included into the system. Copypasta ftw.

The Chairman’s Safety


Such is also similar in the final rendition. The chairman’s model contains fully bulletproof glass, explosives to eject the door in a crash, excess oxygen supplies, and various other equipment to keep the chairman alive by any means necessary. The craziest being the ability to fully fold the front passenger seat flat and recline the rear seat in order to create an impromptu stretcher. Signal jammers, tracking devices and an immobility system were also included under the scenario the vehicle may be stolen. Civilian versions did not include these. You got a fucking flower instead


2,888,888 CNY for the civilian version BLAH BLAH BLAH you get the point.

Gallery

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Honghu Quick Builds : 1969 - 1980 ZX788 Series


Shown: Honghu ZX788A - the armoured version built specifically for government use

Serving the Chinese Communist Party for just over a decade, was the Honghu ZX788 series. Like the older Honghus, these vehicles contained various elements from the American carmaker Innis. Within this model, Honghu outsourced Innis for the engine - a large 5.7L V8 producing roughly 232 horsepower at the crank.


Design

Based on an American body, Honghu has taken great lengths to adapt the design to the government’s desires, with a large horizontal fascia at the front juxtaposed with the vertical bars of its grille. Large windows and trimlines complement the size of the vehicle, while red accents on the sides help add a touch of elegance to the sharp, blocky and imposing design.


Variants

The ZX788 series came in various different trims for different needs, including the likes of a landaulet, a convertible, and a short wheelbase version - all with limited production numbers ranging in the 20s.


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Love the designs! also not to be nitpicky but the forward facing red LEDs on the 88888888 probably wouldn’t be legal in most markets

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Psh, not like it would be sold anywhere besides China anyways :wink:

image

fuck

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