Although the traditional static motor show is an endangered concept (particularly due to the Covid-19 pandemic), these static new vehicle exhibitions continue to be popular in China, with last November’s Beijing Salon drawing large crowds of local car-hungry visitors. It was recently the turn of the annual Shanghai Motor Show, which opened its doors with many manufacturers using the event to showcase their latest models and concepts. There were new (mostly electric) debuts by Toyota, Ford, Nissan, Audi, Citroën, Mercedes-Benz, MG and Volkswagen, as well numerous domestic Chinese brands like Hongqi.
The S9 was styled by none-other than the acclaimed European designer Walter de Silva, the former Fiat Group and Volkswagen design chief, responsible for notable cars such as the pleasing Alfa Romeo 156, original Audi A5 and R8, as well as Lamborghini’s stunning Egoista and 2006 Miura concept.
Hongqi (meaning Red Flag) is one of China’s longest established and admired car makers, building imposing state limousines for Chairman Mao Zedong since the late 1950s. Today Hongqi aspires to be China’s pre-eminent luxury and performance car maker, marking a major milestone in February with the establishment of a joint venture between Chinese automotive giant FAW and the Silk EV Italian design and engineering company, with the joint ambition to develop a range of high-performance, luxury electric cars and hybrids for Hongqi's new S series model range. The first model of this joint venture is the S9 hypercar.