China's oldest auto brand locks in range of electric luxury SUVs for Australia, sedan set to follow

Chinese luxury brand HQ has confirmed its first three models for Australia and alluded to a fourth ahead of its planned local launch in November 2026, when it plans to become a rival to established brands including Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi and Lexus.

Having already announced plans to introduce the large HQ E-HS9 electric SUV in Australia, the CEO and chairman of its local operations, Jim Wu, has confirmed the smaller EHS4 and EHS5 SUVs will follow within six months.

First customer deliveries are expected in January 2027, with the brand targeting around 1000 sales per month once all three electric SUVs are in local showrooms by the middle of next year. It also has a longer-term goal of 30,000 annual sales in Australia.

The E-HS9, a rival to the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV and Cadillac Vistiq , may be shown at the Melbourne EV Show next month ahead of the brand’s official launch in November, when the Australian-specification EHS4 is also scheduled to be unveiled.

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The EHS4 will battle the Audi Q4 e-tron and upcoming electric Mercedes-Benz GLA , while the EHS5 – expected in April 2027 – will compete with the Tesla Model Y , Zeekr 7X and BMW iX3 .

The three electric SUVs will be followed by a sedan similar in size to the Mercedes-Benz E-Class , BMW 5 Series and Audi A6 .

This suggests it could be the EH7 electric sedan, which is offered overseas with rear- or all-wheel drive and up to 655km of WLTP range.

Mr Wu told CarExpert the brand would price its vehicles below their key German rivals, in a similar manner to how Chinese brand Zeekr narrowly undercuts rival automaker Tesla.

For reference, the Zeekr 7X was introduced in Australia in late 2025 from $57,900 before on-road costs, $1000 less than the starting price of its close rival, the Tesla Model Y.

The HQ brand name is an abbreviation of Hongqi, which is owned by China FAW Group, formerly First Automobile Works, which was established in 1953 as a truck manufacturer. Hongqi was subsequently established in 1958 as China’s first passenger vehicle brand.

The brand continues to offer ultra-exclusive models such as the V8-powered Golden Sunflower Guoli, priced from ¥7.18 million (A$1.50 million).

While Australian equipment details are yet to be confirmed, the five-seat, five-door HQ EHS4 sold overseas measures 4520mm long, 1873mm wide and 1647mm high on a 2750mm wheelbase.

Its 400V electrical system supplies a single rear-mounted electric motor producing 160kW and 240Nm, fed by a 67.1kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery that provides up to 420km of WLTP range.