The new Hongqi vehicle may be the provincial and ministerial level bus and will be mass-produced in the second half of the year

The rumors that the "Red Flag" sedan may become the standard vehicle for provincial and ministerial officials are not groundless.

“There is no formal report on becoming a provincial-level car, but FAW is actively preparing.” An insider of FAW Group disclosed to the reporter on February 28th that the red flag C131 model targeting the provincial and ministerial high-end car market is expected to be this year. In the second half of the year, the company will begin mass production and will reach an annual production capacity of 30,000 units next year.

In the "2012 Catalogue for the Selection of Official Vehicles for Party and Government Organs" published by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on February 24 (draft for solicitation of opinions), the Hongqi sedan was not included in the list. For this reason, the person familiar with the matter stated that this catalog is just not displacement. More than 1.8 liters of cars priced at less than 180,000 yuan, and the red flag C131 out will be a large displacement of 2.5 or more, directly targeting the high-end market, "this one has a unified internal arrangements."

However, there are also sources inside the FAW, said the Ministry of Provincial and ministerial officials to use the standard car, the current FAW is actively public relations, "the end result is still not easy to say."

The new car can produce 30,000 vehicles next year It is understood that the shape of the Audi A6's FAW red flag C131 model, in August 2010 project, invested 1.76 billion yuan to develop, has made substantial progress.

According to an insider of FAW Group, the new Hongqi sedan at the end of last year has already been trial-produced by FAW, and the related SOP (Standard Operating Procedures) work has been fully implemented. "If all goes well, the red flag C131 is expected to officially return in the second half of this year."

According to a person close to the FAW Group, at the end of 2011, the red flag C131 had held an off-line ceremony at the interior of the FAW and started trial production. The news that the red flag will serve as a provincial-level seat is the first to be passed at this time. Out.

“After this news came out, it was reported that the leaders at the higher level criticized FAW for not divulging product plans ahead of schedule. Since then, all news about the red flag has been classified as highly confidential inside FAW and is not allowed to be disclosed to outsiders,” said the person.

It is understood that the red flag of the red flag has a total of L and H platforms. The L platform is located in a luxury car. Currently, the red flag of the Red Flag car is on the market. The H platform is located in the senior car, and the red flag C131 will be With mass production on the platform, the company plans to have an annual production capacity of 30,000 units by 2013 and it will replace the Hongqi Spirit model after its listing.

According to relevant sources, when the Hongqi was established as the C131 model, it was positioned as the top-grade 3.0-liter, high-end C-class model of its own-brand sedan. "But at the time, it was not explicitly designated as a provincial-level special car. It was only at the provincial or ministerial level. It is now expected that the red flag must be used."

Judging from the red flag C131 power distribution, the 2.0T, 2.5L, and 3.0L three-displacement-level production models coincide with the state-proclaimed ministerial-level "3.0-liter" red line. According to the “Regulations on the Formulation and Provisioning Standards of Official Vehicles for Central Government Officials” issued by the State Council Authority, “Ministerial cadres are equipped with cars with a displacement of 3.0 liters (including 3.0 liters) and less than 450,000 yuan; Grade cadres use cars with a displacement of 3.0 liters (including 3.0 liters) and prices of less than 350,000 yuan."

"The red flag from the past high-level car, to the later changes to the market, is unsuccessful, this time the introduction of models can be suitable for the Chinese people's aesthetic vision, but also need to test the market." Deputy Secretary-General of China Automobile Dealers Association Luo Lei Told reporters.

The Hongqi sedan, which is known as the “national car” of China, was a special vehicle for China's national leaders in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1981, production was stopped because of large fuel consumption and high costs. Since then, in cooperation with foreign car companies, the Red Flag car has experienced ups and downs and has not been able to regain its place in the market.

The current market performance of Hongqi is very poor. According to statistics from a major automotive website, its sales peak sold 200 units in June 2009, and since last May, Red Flag has not sold one.

In fact, after the Hongqi Golden Age was listed in October 2008, the Hongqi brand has basically stopped production. In 2008, FAW Cars sold Red Flag and Pentium to the grid. In 2009, red flag dealers in Beijing dropped out.

However, the red flag has not been forgotten. In the three product series of FAW Car, the red flag is still at the top of the list.

“In the 12th Five-Year Strategic Plan formulated by FAW, red flag production was listed as an important part.” A person familiar with FAW revealed to this reporter that the red flag production plan from product strategic planning to market positioning was entirely sponsored by FAW Group. Chairman Xu Jianyi personally drafted.

Two procurement catalogs It is understood that the return of the red flag is not a case, but part of the central government’s plan to support autonomous brand cars.

It is reported that in January this year, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology conveyed to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers the instructions of the Central Committee for self-owned brand cars, which mainly included the proposal to start with party and national senior leaders and take the lead in riding domestically-owned brand cars.

In fact, in addition to the fourth-generation red flag revival, the long-lost “Shanghai” brand sedan has also been re-listed in the new car catalog newly released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. It is aimed at the high-level official car market just as the Hongqi sedan.

It is reported that the new Shanghai brand car will share the platform with the Roewe 750 and will be launched together. The related projects are still under planning.

"The return of the Red Flag and the Shanghai Card indicates that under the background of the declining domestic auto market for independent brands, the government has paid more attention to the exemplary significance of the shift of official vehicles to self-owned brands," said Jia Xinguang, chief analyst of China Automotive Industry Consulting and Development Corporation.

In 2009, the State Council issued the “Regulations for the Adjustment and Revitalization of the Automotive Industry” clearly stating that starting from 2009, all levels of governments and public institutions will be equipped with and updated official vehicles, and the proportion of self-owned brands should not be less than 50%.

In November 2011, the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council jointly issued the "Measures for the Administration of the Use of Official Vehicles by Party and Government Organs." The general official vehicle standards were limited to "less than 180,000 yuan and no more than 1.8 liters of displacement." The newly announced bus procurement catalogue excludes all joint venture brand models.

In the “2012 Catalogue of Selected Vehicles for Official Vehicles for Official Vehicles of the Party and Government Organs” (Draft for Soliciting Opinions), the self-owned brand car has become the only content, namely, the model of the self-owned brand will become the only choice for official vehicles for this year or even the future.

However, Luo Lei, deputy secretary-general of the China Automobile Dealers Association, believes that this consultation draft is only for reference and there is no meaning of compulsory purchase. "If the State Council issued a document, the procurement of local government agencies must be in accordance with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's procurement directory, it is not the same."

According to Jia Xinguang, there is a recommendation list for bus procurement in the Bureau of State Administration of State Affairs, which is for the purchase of vehicles by central ministries and commissions. After the new procurement catalog came out, the original list was still unknown.

"The Bureau of Public Administration of the State Council organises the procurement of buses. The first is to consider safety, refer to environmental protection, energy conservation and other indicators. Of course, there are other considerations. Mercedes-Benz and BMW will not purchase even if they meet the standards," said Jia Xinguang.

Luo Lei believes that if two vehicle models exist at the same time, the list of opinions sought by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is a recommended catalogue for government procurement across the country. Governments at all levels can purchase from this list, and purchases from the major organs and ministries and commissions in Beijing. The vehicle is executed by the State Council Organs Authority, which means that the procurement list of the State Administration of Management decides vehicles for purchase in Beijing and ministries and commissions.

Audi frustrated?

According to the plan of FAW Group, the competitor of the Hongqi C131 model is directly positioned in the Audi A6 with strong officialdom. If the red flag really becomes a provincial and ministerial level official car, Audi will bear the brunt of the future.

Public data shows that at present, 30% of domestic official vehicles come from Audi's models, especially the Audi A6L is the official darling. According to statistics from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, in 2011, sales of Audi A6L models were 111.8 thousand, accounting for about 43% of total sales of Audi.

However, Audi seems to be ready for "change of the official car." The relevant person in charge of the FAW-Volkswagen Audi Sales Division stated that in the current sales of Audi, the proportion of official vehicles has fallen below 20%, and through the introduction of A3, A5, TT sports cars and other personalized models, in-depth exploration of the private consumer market.

"Even if you lose the official car market, it does not mean that Audi will encounter a market crisis." The source said that the current FAW - Volkswagen Audi is studying the changes in the official car procurement policy.

However, Xia Baoshan, vice president and secretary-general of the Beijing Automobile Industry Association, believes that Hongqi is not selected as a provincial or ministerial car and will not be rewarded with economic returns. Its demonstration effect is greater than sales, and it only represents the government's support for self-owned brand cars. .