China-based premium vehicle manufacturer Hongqi has unveiled a new bus called Guoyue. Unlike most models in this market segment, it has a petrol engine instead of a diesel.
Once out, the Hongqi Guoyue will compete for customers with the Toyota Coaster, a very popular bus in China. Private and state-owned companies often use it for transporting employees and tourists.
The newcomer is 7.295 mm long, 2,090 mm wide, 2,785 mm tall and has 3,990 mm of wheelbase length. It shares much of its design with the company’s light passenger cars: note especially the radiator grille pattern and the badges stylized to resemble its titular Red Banner. The headlights are two-tier as befits a modern car, and the upper sections visible in the photos are DRLs.
Depending on the specification you choose, there can be up to 23 passenger seats. The example shown so far has a beige eco-leather trim and offers a table to those sitting in the first row behind the driver’s cab. The dashboard sports fake aluminum and wood applications, and the infotainment display is fairly large.
A 3.0-liter six-cylinder turbo engine drives the wheels with 303 PS (299 hp / 223 kW) through an automatic transmission.
