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Journalism of Courage
“It’s a beautiful vehicle,” United States President Joe Biden exclaimed, pointing at his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping’s Hongqi N701, also called the ‘Red Flag’. “It’s like the Cadillac we have here,” Biden said, after a quick glance at the car’s interiors.
Biden and Xi shared this light moment at the end of an all important bilateral meeting in San Francisco on Wednesday (November 15). On the agenda: to strike a conciliatory tone, amidst a steady deterioration in the US-China relationship in recent years.
The two leaders walked in the California country estate and spoke to each other at length. They lunched together, after which Biden saw Xi off to his car, and the now-viral moment took place. “You know what they call my car … the Beast,” Biden jokingly boasted.
We compare the official cars of arguably the two most powerful men on the planet.
The two cars
Both the Beast and the Red Flag are exclusively produced for their country’s respective presidents and thus, many of their features remain shrouded in mystery. Here are some basic specs.
|
|
The Beast |
The Red Flag |
|
Manufacturer |
Cadillac/General Motors |
Hongqi/FAW Group |
|
Introduced |
2018 |
2022 |
|
Length |
5.5 m |
5-5.5 m* |
|
Weight |
6.8-9.1 tons* |
3.1+ tons* |
|
Pricetag |
$1-1.5 million per car |
At least $700,000* |
* Based on speculation, no concrete details available.
A mobile safety-room
Built on the GMC TopKick platform — a range of medium pickup trucks by General Motors — the Beast is a mobile safety room. Although its 6.5 litre Duramax diesel engine, capable of producing 214 horsepower (hp) and a top speed of 100 kmph, is somewhat underpowered, the vehicle makes up for it with its myriad safety features.
Its mind-boggling weight can be attributed to the sheer thickness of the armour installed — 20 cm thick on the chassis, 13 cm thick bullet proof windows, and a reinforced undercarriage to protect against explosives. The Beast also boasts of run-flat tires, which allow it to go on even after multiple punctures. Its interior is hermetically sealed, protecting it from chemical attacks.
Perhaps most strikingly, the Beast also boasts of features right out of a James Bond movie. Its door handles can be electrified to deter intruders, and the car is capable of creating oil slicks and smokescreens to thwart any chasing vehicles. So while it may not be outrunning most threats, the Beast can withstand absolutely massive amounts of battering till it transports the US president to safety.
A speed demon
There is significantly more public information available on the Beast than on the Red Flag. However, from what we do know/can guess, a fundamental difference in design philosophy is obvious.
While also armoured, the Red Flag’ armour is likely to be far inferior than that of the Beast (just compare the weights of the two cars — armour is the single largest contributor). However, the car more than makes up for this with speed. With a V8 or V12 engine under its bonnet (these are the best engines that Hongqi cars currently boast of) capable of as much as 360 hp, the Red Flag can fly at speeds of well above 200 kmph, outrunning most threats it faces.
Like the Beast, the Red Flag too stands quite high on its wheels, and is perhaps based on an SUV chassis, just like the US presidential limousine.
China’s Hongqi is a luxury car marque first launched in 1958. Throughout its history, it has been most associated with high ranking Communist Party or government officials.
