Xi Jinping’s Hongqi N701: China’s Armoured State Limousine Returns to Washington Visit Brics Meet in Delhi

The custom-built Hongqi N701 caught the eye of then-president Biden when he met the Chinese leader in San Francisco in 2023

Xi’s State Car

· Xi Jinping will arrive in Washington in his custom-built Hongqi N701, used since 2022.

· Previously caught Joe Biden’s attention in San Francisco (2023), who compared it to the US presidential limousine, Cadillac One (‘The Beast’).

Features & Design

· Estimated length: 5.5 metres (18 feet); weight: over 3 tonnes.

· Believed to have reinforced armour, bullet-resistant glass, run-flat tyres, secure communications, and air protection systems.

· Distinctive design: square front fascia, tall chrome grille, extended rear windows, red flag ornament.

· Extremely limited production: 50 units over 10 years (2020–2030), costing 572 million yuan (US$85.4 million).

Diplomatic Role

· First public appearance: Hong Kong, July 2022.

· Used in state visits to Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, France, US, Russia.

· Vehicles deployed in pairs (primary + backup), transported ahead of Xi’s arrival.

Historical Context

· Hongqi brand created in 1958; CA770 became iconic in the 1960s.

· Production ended in 1981, revival began in 2000s with HQ3.

· L5 reintroduced in 2013 for state ceremonies, later succeeded by N501, then N701.

· Symbol of Xi’s “Chinese dream” of national rejuvenation, showcasing domestic strength abroad.

Takeaway

· The Hongqi N701, like America’s Beast, is more than transport—it is a symbol of national pride and power projection.

· At the Xi-Trump summit, the car itself underscores China’s modern identity on the world stage.

[ABS News Service/24.09.2026]

US President Donald Trump has made no secret of how little he agrees with his predecessor, Joe Biden, on many things.

So, as Chinese President Xi Jinping is about to arrive in Washington on Wednesday, local time, there is one object that may offer a small moment of entertaining comparison between the two American leaders: Xi’s car.

Xi is expected to bring his own ride – a custom-built Hongqi N701, the Chinese state limousine that has accompanied him on overseas trips since 2022.

In a brief exchange captured on camera during Xi’s visit to San Francisco in November 2023, then-president Biden and his guest stopped beside the Chinese limousine. “It’s a beautiful vehicle,” the American leader said.

“It’s our Hongqi. Domestically made,” Xi responded with a smile, telling his staff to open the door so that Biden could take a look at the highly secure rear cabin.

“It’s like that Cadillac we have over here,” Biden commented, drawing a comparison with the purpose-built state car that serves US presidents.

Now the Hongqi is returning to the United States while “that Cadillac” – more commonly known as Cadillac One or the Beast – is now used by Trump, a president who has spent much time criticising Biden’s approach to China.

So, what will Trump think of Xi’s car?

The specifications of the Hongqi, which translates as Red Flag, have never been disclosed. Even “N701” is understood to be a convenient project code rather than an official model designation.

What is known is that the vehicle is roughly 5.5 metres (18 feet) long. It is estimated to weigh more than three tonnes, reflecting the heavy-duty nature of its construction.

The N701 is widely believed to be equipped with reinforced armour, bullet-resistant glass and run-flat tyres.

Reports have also described advanced systems designed to protect the cabin from contaminated air, as well as highly secure communications equipment, placing it in the same category as the US president’s custom-made armoured limousine.

But unlike Cadillac One, which shares some styling elements with the brand’s commercial models, the N701 is more exclusive to Chinese state missions, its unique design clearly differentiating it from the Hongqi line-up available to civilian buyers.

While the N701 retains the brand’s iconic red flag bonnet ornament, it features a longer, cleaner and more contemporary look than the traditional Hongqi which served as China’s state limousine from the 1960s.

The most distinctive design features of the modern state vehicle include a more square-shaped front fascia, along with a taller chrome-framed vertical grille and extended rear windows.

Production is extremely limited. Reports citing the project plan indicate just 50 vehicles will be made over a 10-year period from 2020, averaging five units per year. The total investment for the entire project is reported to be 572 million yuan (US$85.4 million).

The N701 made its first public appearance in July 2022, when Xi visited Hong Kong. Since then, it has carried him on state visits and summits around the world, from Asian neighbours such as Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and South Korea to more distant destinations including Saudi Arabia, France, the US and Russia.

The limousines are often deployed in pairs, a primary vehicle and a backup, and are typically transported to the destination by Chinese aircraft ahead of Xi’s arrival, as detailed in reports from some of his previous trips.

The Hongqi brand was created in 1958 by China’s First Automobile Works when the country sought to build its own high-end state limousine.

The first Hongqi luxury sedan was completed that August, and the CA770 – a classic model introduced in the 1960s – became famously associated with China’s top leadership and foreign dignitaries at major state occasions.

However, the Hongqi production line came to an end in 1981 after China opened its economy and foreign luxury brands entered the Chinese market. For much of the next two decades, the brand struggled.

That changed in the 2000s when Beijing began placing greater emphasis on developing a domestic motor vehicle industry and the Hongqi returned to the official car market, with the HQ3 model beginning to secure government contracts in the middle of the decade.

In 2013, the L5 became the first Hongqi limousine to be restored to state diplomatic ceremonies, notably carrying the then French president Francois Hollande during his visit to China.

The revival of the Hongqi as a top-tier diplomatic vehicle coincided with Xi’s rise to power and his efforts to promote the “Chinese dream” of national rejuvenation.

In 2014, Xi brought two Hongqi L5s with him on a state visit to New Zealand – the first widely reported instance of a Chinese leader taking a home-built state limousine overseas.

Xi’s L5 was eventually succeeded by the more modern N501 before it was replaced by the N701, the model that caught Biden’s eye.

Chinese leaders traditionally used vehicles provided by their hosts, and showcasing a “domestically made” presidential limousine on foreign trips – like Xi presented to Biden – was a practice long associated with his US and Russian counterparts.

Whatever Trump makes of the car, when Xi arrives at the White House and steps out of the N701, the limousine will already have done its job: as a symbol of modern China, carrying its leader onto the world stage.