Hongqi L5 History

Unveiled at the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show and entering production in 2014, the Hongqi L5 is the most prestigious automobile produced in China — an enormous, bespoke limousine used as the official state car of President Xi Jinping. Xi famously brought his own L5 on foreign state visits, including to New Zealand, in a pointed assertion of Chinese manufacturing prestige.

Hand-assembled in tiny numbers for government use, the L5 is not commercially available to the public. Its design deliberately echoes the classic CA770 of the Mao era — a long hood, formal roofline, and strong national symbolism — while incorporating modern technology.