Remember when Russia's luxury car market was a thing? Neither do we, but apparently, it's still ticking along, even if most Western manufacturers have fled the scene since 2022. Enter the Hongqi Guoya, a Chinese vehicle that looks suspiciously like a Rolls-Royce because it was designed by a former Rolls-Royce guy, Giles Taylor. It's now officially the most expensive Chinese car you can buy in Russia, because when you can't get a real British luxury car, you get the next best thing.
Being a Chinese car, it doesn't cost quite as much as a Rolls-Royce, but at nearly $500,000, it's not exactly a bargain basement find. The base Elegance V6 model will set you back 27.7 million Russian rubles (roughly $389,000), while the top-tier Imperial V8 comes in at 31.7 million rubles (about $445,000). In China, the same base model retails for 1.4 million yuan (around $207,000), because apparently, geography matters.
The Guoya is positioning itself as a rival to the Mercedes S-Class, Audi A8, and BMW 7 Series, though it could probably aim higher at the Mercedes-Maybach or a real Rolls-Royce. And since the Mercedes-Maybach is still available in Russia via gray market imports from Kazakhstan, Armenia, or China, you can do the math: a Maybach costs 45 million rubles (about $631,130). So the Guoya saves you about 13.3 million rubles. That's a lot of caviar.
What do you get for your millions? The Elegance V6 packs a 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 with 380 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque. The Imperial V8 offers a 4.0-liter turbocharged V8 with 476 hp and 501 lb-ft of torque. But the real luxury is inside: second-row captain's chairs with heating, ventilation, cooling, and reclining, a 32-speaker audio system with 4D vibration feedback, a sunroof, and plenty of leather and Alcantara. Because nothing says "I'm an oligarch" like a vibrating speaker system.
So, who in Russia can afford this? Probably the same people who can afford everything else: millionaires, billionaires, and the occasional oligarch. At least they have a cheaper option now.