Hongqi — China's most storied marque — arrives in Malaysia. Sixty-eight years of state cars, ceremonial limousines, and uncompromising craft, now entering the Malaysian luxury conversation.
Founded in 1958 by China's First Automobile Works, Hongqi — meaning Red Flag — has served as the ceremonial vehicle for eight generations of Chinese leaders. From the 1958 CA72 that welcomed foreign dignitaries to Tiananmen, to the N701 limousine that carried President Xi Jinping on his 2024 state visit to Malaysia, this is a marque defined not by sales figures, but by the occasions it has dignified.
Most of the cars in Malaysian showrooms are designed to be bought. This one was designed to be entrusted.
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Before a single Hongqi showroom opens its doors in Malaysia, the brand has already been received at the highest levels of state. In 2024, His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim — the Yang di-Pertuan Agong — became the first foreign head of state to take delivery of the second-generation L5, a gift from the Chinese government. That same year, the N701 limousine was specially flown in to serve as President Xi Jinping's official vehicle during his state visit to Kuala Lumpur.
The StoryOther Chinese cars came to compete.
Hongqi came to preside.
In April 2026, Quill Group signed a Memorandum of Understanding with FAW Group, securing exclusive rights as the official importer and CKD distributor for Hongqi in Malaysia. The brand's official Malaysian launch is scheduled for mid-2026, with local assembly plans to follow.
Malaysia joins a carefully curated list of right-hand-drive markets — including Singapore, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom — selected for Hongqi's strategic international expansion. For a marque that exports to fewer than ninety countries worldwide and has historically reserved its most prestigious models for state use alone, Malaysia's inclusion is a signal of the standing of the bilateral relationship between the two nations.
