Flying the flag for Chinese cars

Chinese carmaker Hong Qi, or Red Flag, is pressing to have its brand move into the mainstream here in China after years of supplying vehicles to the Chinese government. CRI's Dominic Swire recently visited a local Hong Qi showroom here in Beijing to get a closer look. "In 2013 China produced more than 10 million cars, more than any country in the world. In fact, more than the United States and Japan combined for the same year. The car market here is booming with many strong domestic brands. But so far one sector that's remained elusive is the luxury car market. But could that be about to change?" One Chinese carmaker has plans to drive its new model into the competitive market of top range vehicles. Red Flag is a carmaker with a history. This was a set of wheels only available to government officials until recently. Six months ago, Red Flag opened this showroom in Beijing's exclusive Jinbaojie Street, which makes them almost neighbours with other top name carmakers such as Ferrari and Maserati. So what makes Red Flag Sales Manager Wang Rui Chao believe customers will come to his showroom and not theirs? "Firstly, it's true that Chinese brands, especially Hong Qi, entered the luxury car market quite late. But we believe Hong Qi's unique features, its technology and Chinese people's loyalty to compete with foreign luxury cars." It's certainly a brand that stirs a national pride in China. Luo Wen is a Red Flag enthusiast and owns several of the cars. "When I was a child I saw Mao Zedong and other famous leaders on TV being driven in Red Flag cars to places like Zhong Nan Hai and Chang'an Street. It looked spectacular. So when I got a bit of money behind me, I started to collect Red Flag cars. These vehicles make Chinese people feel proud of China." So it's highly significant that this iconic car is now available to the public. The main model in this showroom is the H7. A large black sedan that sports the presence of a Rolls Royce with the curves of a London taxi. It features a large grill, said to be shaped like a Chinese fan. There's a regally thick red carpet, and many features designed to appeal to the well healed, such as heated seats that can massage your back. Whether all this will be enough to tempt potential buyers to come for a test drive remains up in the air. But salesmen like Wang Rui Chao are optimistic to see an increasing number of them on the road in 2014.