In the history of automobile development in China, the red flag is always the most colorful one. Since its birth in 1958, no car brand, like the red flag, has been integrated with strong national feelings. It is the initiator of China car and the witness of China’s booming industry for decades. Just mentioning this name is enough to evoke the memory of most Chinese people, as if the once magnificent picture reappeared in front of them.
In the hearts of Chinese people, the red flag is a symbol of national spirit, and this connotation is contained in the design concept of red flag products from generation to generation.
From 0 to 1: The Red Flag brand begins here.
In 1949, the newly established New China was in great need of development. In 1953, the first automobile factory broke ground in Changchun, and China’s automobile dream officially set sail. In 1957, the State Council No.1 Ministry of Machinery Industry officially assigned FAW the task of producing cars. Just one year later, China’s first domestic car was born, named "Dongfeng" CA71, which became the predecessor of Hongqi brand car.
Since then, in order to build more advanced car products, after five improvement tests from August 1958 to May 1959, Hongqi CA72 limousine was officially born, becoming the first product since the appearance of Hongqi brand.
CA72 has national characteristics and the spirit of the times in modeling design. It has a ship-shaped body with its head held high, symbolizing that the new China has finally stood up and is about to hold its head high and stride forward. The front grille adopts the traditional fan shape of China, and the design of the rear headlight is inspired by the ancient palace lanterns in China, which symbolizes the cultural heritage. The car logo is a red flag, and the side logo is a five-sided red flag that embodies "workers, peasants, soldiers and businessmen"; The interior is made of national arts and crafts, the instrument panel and window frame are made of Fujian lacquer and red treasure sand, and the warm interior, brocade sofa fabric, silk ceiling material and hand-made carpet reflect the strong Chinese cultural color and exquisite car-making skills from the outside to the inside.
The birth of CA72 greatly enhanced the self-confidence and pride of the people in China, and the Red Flag sedan became famous at home and abroad. In 1960, Hongqi car represented China at the Leipzig International Expo, which was included in the World Automobile Yearbook of that year, and thus Hongqi became a world-class car. Since then, Red Flag cars have appeared in various national important occasions and become the witnesses of the rapid development of New China.
In 1959, at the celebration of the tenth anniversary of the National Day, two red flag review cars and six red flag cars participated in the military parade and parade. Since 1962, the "Red Flag" car has officially undertaken the task of receiving foreign guests; In 1964, Hongqi was designated as the national concierge car, and served to receive the visits of many heads of state to China.
In the years that followed, the red flag, in the name of "national car", has carried countless leaders and meritorious deeds, and has also witnessed the unremitting efforts of generations.
New red flag, new inheritance
Time passes, and glory will last forever. In 2018, China’s industry has bathed in the spring breeze of reform and reached a new climax, and China’s automobile market has also become the largest and fastest-growing automobile market. Cars are no longer a "rarity" 30 years ago, but have already entered the homes of ordinary people.
The new era calls for a new national automobile brand. On January 8th, 2018, China FAW released the brand strategy of New Red Flag, with the brand concept of "Chinese New Noble Refinement", which opened a new chapter in the revitalization of "New Era, New Red Flag".
In the brand concept of the new red flag, "new nobility" is the core, which refers to the noble moral sentiment that is integrated into the advanced cultural connotation of China on the basis of the excellent traditional culture of China. At present, China has entered a new era, and "new nobility" is a prominent display of national cultural self-confidence and enterprising spirit, as well as an important responsibility for national justice. The red flag of the new era once again engraved the national spirit in the brand gene.
Under the brand-new background and brand concept, the new red flag adopts a brand-new design language-with "Shang Zhi Yi" as the core, expressing feelings freely and fully deducing "Chinese new noble exquisiteness".
The concept car displayed by the brand on the same day is the concrete expression of the brand-new design language of the new red flag: the grille of "alpine waterfalls, mainstay", the through-going flag of "flowing mountains and rivers, shining red light", the headlights of "dreams stirring and flying with wings", the waist of "holding your head high and flying with flags", the wheel logo of "colorful and fixed on the sea" and "the needle of God" In the following years, the brand-new design language of the new red flag was applied to brand-new models such as H5, HS5, H9 and so on. With the sales miracle created by the new red flag, it approached more and more consumers in China.
Let the ideal fly
In January, 2020, it made its official debut at the New Red Flag Brand Festival. As an epoch-making product integrating the latest design concept and forward-looking technology of Hongqi brand, H9 is the most concentrated embodiment of the new Hongqi spirit. In design, it deeply restored the design concept of "paying tribute" in the previous concept car. The straight waterfall grille is like a mountain waterfall, flowing down and solemn; Through flag, bright color, high recognition; The body curve with high front and low back is elegant and slender, with extraordinary momentum; The cockpit interior design of "Oriental Artistic Conception" is full of rich China cultural color, exquisite and luxurious.
Besides H9, under the design concept of "paying tribute to others", Hongqi has shown different interpretations of brand-new design language in products such as HS7, HS5 and H5.
On Hongqi E-HS9, Hongqi’s first full-size intelligent pure electric SUV, the design language of the new Hongqi has undergone a new evolution. Mighty, future and harmonious, these keywords are not only the feelings brought by the ultimate modeling design of this product, but also reflect the attitude of China people who are facing the future, more energetic, do their best and dare to compete for the first place.
In September this year, the annual sales volume of Hongqi brand exceeded 200,000 vehicles in 2021, reaching this milestone three months earlier than last year and continuing to maintain a good development trend. The new red flag is moving from "the first luxury car brand in China" to "the first luxury brand in China and the world famous", and it is full of ambition and sonorous steps.
What changes is design, data, and unchangeable, which is the mission of Hongqi to develop China automobile industry, the eternal inheritance of Chinese culture, and the spirit of the times that China people struggle endlessly.
The red flag will surely make China people’s ideals soar and make China consumers’ dreams of "a better life and a wonderful trip" come true.