This car costs half a million shekels, and it comes from China - Walla! vehicle

2022-04-06T11:08:39.602Z

Chinese luxury manufacturer Hongchi enters the Israeli market with the E-HS9, a huge electric crossover with 6 or 7 seats at a price starting at NIS 399,000

This vehicle costs half a million shekels, and it comes from China

A symbol enters the world of electric luxury with a huge Hongchi E-HS9 crossover, equipped to explode, but at prices ranging from 400 to 500 thousand shekels it will be a piece of challenge

Keenan Cohen

06/04/2022

Wednesday, 06 April 2022, 12:54 Updated: 13:52

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Large, impressive, unusual and expensive (Photo: Keinan Cohen)

Electric car manufacturers are not a new line in the domestic market, Chinese manufacturers have also become a common sight especially in the combination of the two worlds - Chinese electric vehicles.

In fact even the poster girl of electric cars in 2021 - Tesla Model 3 is coming to us from China.

But something like the Hongchi E-HS9 we have not yet seen.

A generous, fully electric luxury crossover that begins to be sold today by Sergeant at prices that are in the territory to which no Chinese car has come close to date.

But just before diving into the model, a few words about the house from which it comes.

Get used to it: Leapmotor in Israel

To the full article

China Communist Party's official car maker since 1958 (Photo: Manufacturer's website)

Hongchi (a red flag in Chinese) belonging to the Chinese FAW concern, is actually one of the first car brands established in China.

The concern was founded in 1953 out of China's strategic vision of the importance of a local car industry, and within it a manufacturer that would build the ministry cars for party executives.

To this day, the Chinese president drives a company-made car, not that it's a big pride, but that's it.

Today, the company is in fourth place among the luxury brands sold in China, with three German ahead of it and last year it marked a little over 300,000 dedications.

In recent years, the company has begun concentrating efforts towards leaving China for Western markets.

For this purpose, it entered the process of assimilating electric propulsion, with plans to significantly expand the supply in the future, create a brand identity and recruit forces such as Giles Taylor, former chief designer at Rolls-Royce to the company.

Norway The electric vehicle pole was the first in which the brand was sold in Europe under partial standardization and Israel is the second Western country to which the brand is exported.

The chief designer comes from Rolls Royce, now everything is understood (Photo: Eitan Kajiya)

The first model with which the manufacturer enters Israel is the E-HS9 - the senior in the company's offering.

This is a large crossover, with 521 cm from end to end, 201 cm in width and a height of 171-173 cm (depending on the version). The wheelbase is also huge and extends over 311 cm - deep in the territory of the limousine luxury cars.

In fact, it overlaps in size with the two most similar vehicles in the world of luxury - the

BMW X7

and the

Mercedes GLS

(except for the interesting price, of course, which in their case is NIS 890,000 and NIS 840,000, respectively).

But in the future with the introduction of their electric versions and with the Tesla Model X the selection will be even more diverse.

These dimensions allow it to offer seating arrangements for 6 or 7 passengers, with the first one having two full-size "captain" seats in the second row.

The trunk will range from 255 liters if the third row is used or 796 liters when folded.

6 or 7 seat configuration (Photo: Manufacturer's website)

On the propulsion of the E-HS9 are two electric power units that create dual propulsion and come in two power supplies, two battery capacities as well as different ranges, albeit quite modest.

In the base version, with 435 hp and 61.2 kg it accelerates to 100 km / h in 6.5 seconds and with an 84 kW battery, its declared maximum range is 380 km. In this version a charge from 20 For 80 percent AC power, it takes 4 hours, in a fast charging station (supported up to 108 kilowatts) the charging will take about 25 minutes.

In the senior version, the power increases to 551 hp and the torque to 76.5 kg. The acceleration is shortened to 5.9 seconds Or 4.9 seconds at the highest level of finish used in the "boost" mode. Here, a 99 kWh battery provides a declared range of 441 km. .

Different in every possible sense (Photo: Eitan Kajiya)

The model will be marketed in finishing trim levels;

Premium is the entry-level version, for mid-level connections and Exclusive will be the top of the three.

All versions have advanced safety systems that include automatic braking, lane departure correction, rear cross traffic warning, "dead zone" vehicle detection, door opening warning when a vehicle passes and more.

All versions also come with very long instrumentation specifications that will really shorten the sheet from specs, but include driving control with 6 modes, LED headlights, active noise cancellation, electric trunk door, electric and heated Alcantara upholstery, USB sockets for all seats and socket 220 in the second row, compartment lock Gloves with code, digital dashboard and more.

As you encrypt the additional trim levels include systems such as LED matrix lighting, 6 climate zones (4 in the base version), air conditioning outlets also for the third row and 12 speakers in the audio system.

The highest level of finish has adaptive air dampers, napa leather for seats that are also ventilated and with massage, adjustable, heated and ventilated second-row captain seats and more.

Declared 380 or 441 km (Photo: Manufacturer's website)

Placing such an unusual, expensive and expensive Chinese brand is a very difficult challenge to crack.

However, the symbol is convinced that they can convince customers of classic luxury brands to replace the familiar symbols with the new addition.

At this stage, the initial allocation includes several dozen tools that they expect to sell in full in the current year.

And when the prices start at NIS 399,000 for the premium entry version, NIS 459,000 for the luxury and NIS 499,000 for the exclusive, it is definitely an electric vehicle that enters the territory where the luxury brands are located, although compared to specifications - they are far from attractive to it.

How convincing will he be in the test of Israeli roads?

Very soon we will know after the first test drive in it.