Meet the Hongqi H5: China's Oldest Car Brand Just Got Cooler

You've heard the jokes about Chinese cars, but times have changed, my friends. Meet the Hongqi H5, a car so stylish you won't believe it hails from China's oldest automaker. A huge thanks to our pals at Wheelsboy for the awesome pics and video.

So, let's dig in. Hongqi—pronounced like 'Hung-chee'—might be a new name for you. That's cool, but get this: it's the OG of Chinese car brands, focused solely on passenger cars. Nowadays, they're hanging out with the bigwigs under the FAW Group umbrella.

This H5 is super interesting. Why? For starters, it's sitting on a third-gen Mazda 6 platform, thanks to a collab between FAW and Mazda. Sweet, right?

In terms of size, it's a smidge shorter than the current BMW 5 Series but boasts a longer wheelbase than the 3 Series.

Under the hood, you can choose between a nifty 1.5-liter turbo engine with 166 horses or a beefier 2.0-liter turbo cranking out 220 HP. Depending on what you pick, you'll get a seven-speed dual-clutch or an eight-speed torque converter.

How does she handle? Let me tell you, it's not a BMW 5 Series, but it's definitely no snoozer. The ride is stiffer than most Chinese sedans, but it's got a kinda responsive steering that keeps the driving fun and engaging.

And hey, if you're on the green train, they even have a 1.5-liter mild-hybrid and a full-hybrid option. Not too shabby, eh?