Biden Admires Xi’s ‘Beautiful Car’: What Makes It So Special?

Biden Praises Chinese President Xi’s Luxury Official Car

On the 15th (local time), President Joe Biden of the United States, who convened the first U.S.-China summit in a year in San Francisco, highly praised Chinese President Xi Jinping’s official vehicle, the Hongqi. People often refer to this top Chinese luxury car as the Chinese version of Rolls-Royce.

Friendly Atmosphere at the U.S.-China Summit

According to major foreign media on the day, after the first U.S.-China summit in a year near San Francisco’s Woodside, President Xi and President Biden created a friendly atmosphere by introducing each other’s official vehicles in front of the entrance of the meeting place, the Filoli Estate.

When President Biden pointed to President Xi’s official car parked in front of the entrance and said, “This car is really cool,” President Xi replied, “It’s my Hongqi. It’s domestic.” When a Chinese official opened the vehicle’s rear door, President Biden bent over to look inside and exclaimed, “Oh, it’s similar to my Cadillac.”

Hongqi N701: China’s Top Luxury Car

The car President Biden praised is the N701 of Hongqi, a sedan brand of China FAW Group. It is a bulletproof and explosion-proof vehicle developed with an investment of 570 million yuan (approximately US$80 million). Its annual production is only five units. President Xi also used this car when he attended the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, last November.

For a while, President Xi mainly used vehicles of the brand of the country he was visiting. However, since 2018, he has been using Hongqi. Hongqi means red flag, which is the same as the name of China’s national flag. There is an analysis that President Xi is using limousine diplomacy, mainly using Hongqi, China’s top luxury car brand.

President Xi’s official vehicle has armor plates capable of withstanding small arms and rocket launches and a powerful 6-liter V12 engine. Manufacturers made it to a length of 5.555m, using the number 5, which symbolizes luck or perfection in China. Bloomberg reports that based on the standard consumer model, its price is US$800,000.

Comparison with President Biden’s “The Beast”

People know President Biden’s official vehicle as ‘The Beast,’ estimated to be worth $1.5 million and often called the White House on Wheels. While the specific features of The Beast remain classified, it is known to weigh as much as 20,000 pounds (9,000kg) and can accommodate up to seven people. It has special protection against chemical attacks and boasts bulletproof and explosion-proof capabilities.

By. Kwon Ha Young