Billionaires rejoice! There’s a new Hongqi L5 in town

No doubt you’ll remember the Hongqi L5? The ultra-luxe retro limo first launched in 2014 and for a while was the official state car of China. Essentially it was a Chinese take on the Rolls-Royce Phantom – only it was even more exclusive, more expensive and more imposing than the Brit-built Rolls.

And now there’s a new one! So, listen up Chinese billionaires, because here’s what we know about it so far.

Hongqi (which translates to ‘red flag’ in English) hasn’t gone too wild with the looks of the L5, so there’s a slightly redesigned front end with a new lower grille and even more chrome than before. The same retro headlight and monster grille combo remains and just gets a light update, while the wheels look much more expensive than the generic alloys on the previous generation.

There’s loads of chrome down the sides too, as well as a Phantom-like profile and a two-tone paintjob. The rear gets a redesigned bumper with monster exhausts and upright LED lighting.

There’s no word on powertrain options just yet, but the previous L5 was offered with a 402bhp 6.0-litre V12 and an ‘entry-level’ 350bhp-ish 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8. That entry-level option cost around £500,000. Yikes.

The previous generation also weighed over three tonnes, and at first glance it doesn’t look like the new iteration has been to Weight Watchers. The interior looks as opulent as before, with wacky colour schemes, loads of real jade, proper rear seat armchairs and plenty of screens. Proper buttons too. Really is a lovely looking interior.

And while we don’t have any pricing confirmed by Hongqi, you can be sure that if you have to ask, you almost certainly can’t afford the L5.