[6] The original Hongqi cars were a luxury item used for the transport of foreign dignitaries[3] and the party elite.

[2] Although Chairman Mao Zedong claimed not to have been driven in a Hongqi until Nixon's 1972 visit, he did take a personal interest in the cars from the beginning.

By October 2007, the price was reduced considerably and the name changed to Shengshi ("Days of Prosperity") in order to better appeal to private buyers.

[5] Debuting by 2013, 30,000 units of the latest Hongqi model were initially expected to be produced,[16] though a year after launch, less than 5,000 had been sold.

[19] FAW Group held the "Hongqi Brand Strategy Conference" in Beijing's Great Hall of the People on the evening of January 8, 2018.

[26] In 2023, FAW announced internally the establishment of the Hongqi Brand Operations Committee and carried out a series of organizational and personnel adjustments.

This custom began to change in November 2014, when President Xi Jinping, brought his own Hongqi L5 presidential car on a state visit to New Zealand.

[28][29] Traditionally, the Chinese paramount leaders used Hongqi as ceremonial cars in the anniversary parade of the People's Republic of China.

(盛世 Days of Prosperity) Hongqi will sometimes make an appearance at autoshows held on Chinese soil, showing off a concept car that attracts attention.

[55] At the 2015 Shanghai International Auto Exhibition, Hongqi displayed a concept SUV radically different from its 2007 entry.

[56] At the 2018 Beijing International Auto Exhibition, Hongqi unveiled the electric sports car E-Jing GT Concept.

[59] Not strictly a concept car, the V12-powered Hongqi HQE was used by high-ranking official Hu Jintao during parades celebrating the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China.

[6] It appeared on an official list of upcoming models in 2010 with a retail price of 1.2 million US dollars (which would have made it the most expensive Chinese-built car in history).

[61] Similarly to the HQE, The Hongqi S9, is not strictly a concept car, it is set to start production in Italy with Silk-FAW,[62] a joint venture between the FAW group and American based design firm Silk EV.

the S9 is luxury sports car powered by a combustion 4.0 L twin-turbo V8 engine associated with a hybrid system, providing it with an output of 1,381 hp.

[74] On January 1, 2024, the retail sales of the Hongqi brand in 2023 exceeded 370,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 29.5%, with positive growth for 6 consecutive years, and its market share ranked first among Chinese brands in the China ICE vehicle market with more than 150,000 yuan.

[82] Due to poor sales, the model received a significant price cut (300,000 SEK or appx 30,000 USD) half a year later.

[84] The Hongqi L5 was reviewed by Jeremy Clarkson in a 2019 film for The Grand Tour taking place in China.