Power Wheels Magazine A Notch Above
As the first and oldest automotive brand in China, Hongqi initially made luxury vehicles that were exclusively reserved for the use of high-ranking government officials. As the official vehicle of the ruling party elite, Hongqi vehicles are designed, manufactured and finished to be utterly reliable, ultimately safe, and luxuriously comfortable since 1958. And as it is often referred to as the “Chinese Rolls-Royce”, Hongqi is duty-bound to continue to deliver this design, manufacturing and detailing philosophy with their current fleet of modern luxury vehicles.
Since 1958, the ruling party elite of China, including Chairman Xi Jinping, has always been chauffeured around in a Hongqi, the Chinese Rolls-Royce.
The much-vaunted build quality can easily be seen, felt and experienced in and around the 2026 Hongqi EHS7, the brand’s entry in the all-electric 5-door luxury crossover SUV market. Brian Tumalad Badilla, the Sales & Marketing Head of Hongqi Philippines, lent us the Flagship variant of the EHS7, which came with two electric motors, all-wheel drive (AWD), and active rear wheel steering (RWS), and then directed us to have fun with it for a week. Before we drove off, Brian guided us through the EHS7 Flagship’s suite of advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS).
Woohoo! We finally got to drive a Hongqi EHS7 Flagship for a whole week!
With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility
Brian pointed out that the EHS7 Flagship has dual electric motors with a 202-kilowatt motor driving the front axle while a 253 kW motor drives the rear. Combined, the total maximum output of the two motors is 455 kW or 610 horsepower, along with a maximum torque rating of 756 Newton-meters or 1,025 ft-lbs, which is more than enough to catapult this 2,475-kilogram electric SUV from zero to 100 km/h in just 3.9 seconds. This Hongqi can out-accelerate sports cars that cost ten times as much, thus, it was engineered with enhanced ADAS to ensure the occupants’ safety.
Front 202-kW and rear 253-kW electric motors (in red) combine to produce 455 kW (610 hp) and 756 Nm of torque delivered through an AWD system.
Brian advised us that the Front Collision Warning (FCW) system is a bit sensitive that it automatically activates the Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) when it senses an imminent threat ahead of the vehicle while it is in motion, even at slow speeds. For example, when a motorcycle or a pedestrian suddenly darts in front while you’re crawling through traffic, the FCW has a tendency to immediately apply the brakes and catch you by surprise. While some drivers might find that AEB sensitivity shocking or annoying, we think it was designed to eliminate the dreaded SUA (sudden unintended acceleration), especially with the EHS7 Flagship’s available power and torque.
The FCW of our EHS7 Flagship’s Enhanced ADAS can detect motorcycles, bicycles and pedestrians and activate the AEB when the distance is too near and the collison is imminent.
Modern, Sporty and Attractive on the Outside
After our impromptu safety briefing from Brian, we went around the EHS7 Flagship to take stock of its exterior and interior features, as well as its dimensions. At around 16 feet long and around 6 ½ feet wide, this Hongqi falls under the midsize crossover SUV category. Hongqi designers have taken the ubiquitous “Two-Box” SUV body style – with the smaller front box housing the compartment for the electric drive components and the larger box housing the passenger and luggage compartment – and crafted it to make the EHS7 look modern, sporty and attractive.
Hongqi took the ubiquitous “Two-Box” SUV body style and made it modern, sporty and attractive.
Our media test drive unit came with dark tinted windows all around. We prefer the less solid-looking, no-tint, factory stock look.
The unique multi-spoke 21-inch alloy wheels, fitted with high-performance Pirelli P-Zero tires that are 255/45R21 in front and 275/45R21 at the back, not only provide the much-needed grip and road holding capabilities to match the EHS7 Flagship’s power, but also lends a complete look to the vehicle since it fills the large wheel wells very well. The performance vibe is further emphasized by the body creases along the doors as well as the sharp design cues of the Matrix LED headlights and tail lamps. Aerodynamics, including the active front vents, also played a huge role in its overall design that would allow this Hongqi to reach top speeds exceeding 200 km/h.
Unique 21-inch alloy wheels looks like it has 3 fat spokes instead of the actual 12 spokes. Tires are Pirelli PZero 255/45R21 in front and 275/45R21 at the back.
The wheels fill up the wheel wells quite nicely and complements the body creases to further enhance the EHS7 Flagship’s sporty look.
Modern, Innovative and Luxurious on the Inside
The modern interior of the EHS7 Flagship offers innovation with what Hongqi dubs as a “multi-mode interconnection experience”. The width and 5 ½ feet height of the EHS7’s body provides ample space to sit five occupants in supreme comfort with enough room at the back for luggage. The front dash is dominated by a large specially-shaped dual screen display that creates an impression of proprietary design, not just an added afterthought like some touchscreens in other vehicles. The instrument panel in front of the driver is easily legible and displays the necessary information, including battery charge, plus current and average energy consumption in kWh per 100 kilometers.
We can stay in an environment like this for hours! The squared-off multi-function steering wheel will take some getting used to, tho…
Modern cockpit, ergonomic seats in Nappa leather with suede inserts, purified A/C, seat vents and massagers, special-shape 15.5-inch touchscreen infotainment – what more can you ask for?
You can even choose from curve, wave or surround for your massage! That’s a real treat while you’re stuck in traffic!
The central touchscreen can control the automatic dual-zone air-conditioning system, which features an air purifier, PM 2.5 filter, ion generator, and automatic air quality control (AQS). It even has a built-in fragrance system with a lamp on top of the center console. The touchscreen also controls the seat vents to blow cool or warm air; the built-in multi-mode massager in the front seats; and the 256-color ambient interior lamp. Of course, it controls the infotainment system which pipes in immersive audio through 19 speakers that are scientifically placed around the cabin.
Rear bench seats are equally plush, comfortable and wide enough to seat 3 sdults. The 60/40 folding backrest has folding center armrest with drinkholders.
Compartment behind the rear seats can hold 456 dry liters or 16 cubic feet of luggage.
Folding the 60/40 seatback expands the cargo capacity to 1,709 dry liters or 60 cubic feet.
Driving the Flagship Model
The days when driving electric vehicles felt boring and lifeless are long gone. With four fat Pirelli tires transferring all that power and torque onto the road, the EHS7 Flagship accelerates literally like a “bat out of hell”. Whenever we find an open road and get a chance to drive it like we stole it, this Hongqi reminds us why we love driving fast cars. It’s not only quick and fast, it is also very easy to maneuver around slower traffic, thanks to its active rear wheel steering system (RWS). We only needed some time to warm up to the oddly-shaped multi-function steering wheel.
Active RWS enhances manueverability with a tighter turning radius at low speeds and reduced body roll during high-speed cornering. We felt the difference around town and on the highways.
Driven around town with utter civility, the EHS7 Flagship delivers an utterly composed and luxurious ride, thanks to its independent suspension with dual wishbones in front, a 5-link system at the back, and Hongqi’s Intelligent Damping Control System (IDCS) and ECAS Intelligent Air Spring Control System. Of course, the genuine Nappa leather with suede inserts that cover the ergonomically-designed and amply-padded seats add to the luxurious ride that we felt was beginning to slowly spoil us. And we hate being spoiled…
The innovative and luxurious interior of the EHS7 Flagship makes driving around the concrete jungle much more bearable that we’ve become spoiled by it.
Spoiled with Luxury and Technology
You see, during the week we had the EHS7 Flagship, it spoiled us by unfolding the side mirrors, unlocking the doors, and revealing the concealed door handles automatically just as we approach the vehicle. We don’t even have to touch the key fob. When we get in, the doors fully close with a soft suction, the seats automatically adjust to our preferred preset position, the A/C is automatically turned on to cool the interior, and the infotainment system turns on automatically. All we have to do is step on the brakes to activate the electric drive system, shift to Drive and off we go to another trip or road adventure.
It’s easy to become acquainted, comfortable with and spoiled by the EHS7 Flagship’s cockpit. Everything’s so light, easy and automatic!
Its Enhanced ADAS technology helps keep us in our lane, warns us of potential dangers on the road, and generally ensures our safety. Its 3D-enhanced panoramic image with multiple cameras around the vehicle and rear collision warning (RCW) makes it a lot easier to back up or maneuver in tight spaces. Its AR HUD heads up display allows us to focus our eyes on the road while its SACC adaptive cruise control makes driving on highways a lot easier as well. Its road sign identification and intelligent speed limit recommendation tandem even gave us a good laugh when it misread a poster with a 5-Minute logo that looked like a traffic sign and then recommended a 5 km/h speed limit.
Safety overload: The Road Sign Identification system can sometimes misread on-road information such as “30 Ton Maximum Limit” on a bridge, recommend a 30 km/h speed limit, and then emit a chime when the recommended speed limit is exceeded.
After a week of being spoiled by the EHS7 Flagship, driving our own car in the traffic-snarled roads of Metro Manila suddenly seems like a chore instead of a pleasurable adventure. We suddenly miss the convenience, comfort and luxury afforded to us by that midsize electric luxury SUV. We also miss the economy of driving this luxury EV at P3.16 per kilometer*. We are suddenly compelled to examine our personal finances to see if we can scrape up P3,080,000 to park a 2026 Hongqi EHS7 Flagship in our garage and call it our own. After all, being treated like a ranking member of the ruling party elite has its perks and we’d like to get spoiled some more.
We’ve become so spoiled by the Hongqi EHS7 Flagship that we were reluctant to take it back to EvoXTerra. However, we don’t think they’ll accept 3.08-Million I.O.U. notes.
Editor’s Note: Cost per kilometer* is computed as Power Consumption as Tested (23.6 kWh/100 km = 0.236 kWh/km) x Meralco Power Rate (P13.37/kWh) = P3.16/km
