Budget Chinese brand welcomes luxury newcomer selling one of its models

The Leapmotor B10 is about to get some competition of sorts, in the shape of another small SUV from another Chinese brand… based on the Leapmotor B10.

Revealed earlier this year as the Hongqi Global SUV, the new SUV from luxury brand Hongqi is based heavily on the Leapmotor B10, though it features revised styling front and rear.

It’s the fruit of a tie-up between electric vehicle (EV) specialist Leapmotor and state-owned automotive giant FAW, which owns the Hongqi brand.

The Hongqi Global SUV has already been detailed for Nepal and Bangladesh, where it’s known as the EHS4 and E-HS4 respectively, and has been spied testing in Australia.

Hongqi, China’s oldest passenger car brand and best known as the manufacturer of limousines for government officials, will launch in Australia early in 2027 as HQ. It’s confirmed a three-model lineup comprising the EHS4, EHS5 and E-HS9 SUVs.

“Certainly, from our perspective, we can’t stop competition. And for us, it’s going to be up to customers to make their own choice on what best suits them – stack the cars up themselves, test drive the cars, what value’s on offer, what network support have you got after you purchased the car,” Leapmotor Australia boss Andy Hoang told CarExpert.

“I think those decisions are all things that our customers will need to do when comparing any brands.”

When asked whether the fact a Leapmotor-based model will be sold here by a luxury brand – albeit one virtually unknown to Australians – will help the image of his value-priced brand, Mr Hoang said: “I don’t think it’ll hurt, if that’s the way they’re pitching it – I don’t think they’ll be pitching it that way.

“If customers see it that way, then I think… that won’t hurt us at all.”

While it features a unique front-end design among other detail exterior changes, its close relation to the B10 – with which it shares its LEAP3.5 architecture – is apparent even at a glance.

Per Hongqi’s Bangladesh website, the E-HS4 measures 4520mm long, 1875mm wide and 1645mm tall on a 2720mm wheelbase; unusually, the Nepalese website lists a 2750mm wheelbase.

Leapmotor Australia says the B10 measures 4515mm long, 1885mm wide and 1665mm tall on a 2735mm wheelbase.

The Bangladesh-market E-HS4 features a 160kW/240Nm rear-mounted electric motor powered by a 67.1kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, with a 400V electrical system allowing a maximum DC fast-charge rate of 168kW. These specifications are all identical to the Australian-market B10, not the Chinese-market B10 which has been updated with an 800V electrical system.

The E-HS4 is also expected to be made available with the B10’s extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) powertrain in some markets.

Inside, it features an 8.8-inch digital instrument cluster and a 14.6-inch touchscreen infotainment system like the B10, though there’s a restyled dashboard, unique door trims, and a new steering wheel, for a more upscale look than the B10.

There also appears to be a small row of physical switches below the touchscreen, and potentially an analogue clock.

Already on sale in Nepal, the EHS4 is priced at 59.99 lakh – around A$55,700 at the exchange rate when it launched – for the entry-level model, slightly more than the MG S5 EV at 55.99 lakh (A$51,310).

Hongqi parent FAW and Leapmotor signed a strategic cooperation agreement in March 2025 to jointly develop a new global vehicle. The former subsequently agreed to invest 3.74 billion yuan in Leapmotor in December, in exchange for a five per cent stake.

Leapmotor is only a young company, having been founded in 2015, but has been a rising star in its home market. FAW, in contrast, is perceived as more of a laggard in the EV space.

Before the Global SUV arrives, Hongqi will debut its flagship full-size electric SUV in Australia, the E-HS9. This model has been on sale in the Chinese market since 2020.

Unlike the B10, which is classified as a small SUV but sized similarly to the 'mid-size' BYD Atto 3, the E-HS9 is comfortably full-sized.

The E-HS9 measures 5209mm long, 2010mm wide and 1713mm tall on a 3110mm wheelbase, making it 172mm longer, 46mm wider but 31mm lower than the Volvo EX90 on a 125mm longer wheelbase.

Australian Design Rule (ADR) certification documents published in the past week list a tare weight of 2636kg, and 202kW front and 165kW rear electric motors.

Hongqi has a goal of initially selling 500 vehicles per month, with a long-term goal of selling 30,000 vehicles annually in Australia. For context, BMW delivered 26,842 vehicles in Australia last year.

It’ll commence customer deliveries in mid-January 2027, with HQ Australia CEO and managing director Jim Wu telling CarExpert he expects the brand to be seen as being on the same level as BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz, and to take market share from Range Rover.

Hongqi design is headed by Giles Taylor, previously of Rolls-Royce.

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