China's Olympic Gold Medalists Will Receive Hongqi H9 Limousines

2020 Tokyo Olympics ended last weekend, with the United States (39 gold medals) and China (38 gold medals) taking home more than any other country. According to kuruma-news, Hongqi awarded every one of the gold medalists from China a free H9 mid-size luxury automobile.

Due to some being given on team sports and six of them competing in multiple events, China's 38 Olympic medals converted to 52 athletes. This indicates that 52 brand new Hongqi H9 2.0T cars were distributed, with the highest possible trim level costing 369,800 ($57,061) in China, putting the overall price of the presents to a whopping $2,967,164.

According to the automaker, the automobiles were given as a "symbol of gratitude for having flapped the red flag as many times as the number of gold medals." Given that Hongqi is a luxury brand held by the state-controlled FAW Group, gifting sportsmen free luxury sedans is possible.

The Hongqi H9 mid-size luxury sedan will debut in 2020, competing with models such as the Audi A6, BMW 5 Series, and Mercedes-Benz E-Class. With a length of 5,080 mm (200 inches) and a sumptuous inside, the exterior has clues of Rolls-Royce in front, Maybach on the profile, and Cadillac at the rear.

A turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine produces 252 horsepower (188 kW / 255 PS) and 380 Nm (280 lb-ft) of torque underneath the hood of the cars given to Olympic finalists. A 3.0-liter V6 and a new turbocharged 2.5-liter V6 are both available in the H9.

All of the motors are connected to a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox that sends power to the back wheels. Between January and July of 2021, sales of the Hongqi brand surged by 95 percent over the same period in 2020, with 170,600 goods sold. The FAW Group has big ambitions for the premium brand, which was founded in 1958, and plans to sell 400,000 units per year thanks to a slew of new products.