HQ E-HS9: indicative price under $150,000, and the official Australian specs are now online

Updated 12 Nov 2026. Official Australian specifications are now on HQ’s website, and the importer’s chief executive has given an indicative price. The under-$150,000 figure is still not a published list price.

Hongqi’s Australian launch in Sydney on 11 November 2026 left the E-HS9 without a published list price, but the importer’s chief executive gave an indicative figure below $150,000 before on-road costs. HQ’s own website has now published local specifications, including a 548 km range figure that it measures on the WLTC cycle, not WLTP.

The six-seat electric SUV is being sold here under the shortened HQ name. Jim Wu, chief executive of importer Greentech Smart EV, presented the launch. CarSauce, which attended, reported an indicative manufacturer’s suggested retail price of under $150,000 before on-road costs, with final pricing still to be announced. That is lower than the figure of around $160,000 Mr Wu had earlier indicated to GoAuto. It is not a drive-away price. CarSauce also reported that HQ plans one drive-away price per state.

That under-$150,000 figure is indicative only. It does not appear on HQ’s Australian website as of 12 November 2026. The site still tells enquirers the team will “discuss pricing and vehicle availability in your area.” Until HQ publishes an official price list, treat the number as a launch indication, not a confirmed MSRP.

What HQ’s Australian site now confirms

The E-HS9 product page, checked on 12 November 2026, now includes a specifications table that was not published when EV Select previewed the model on 9 November. The official figures are:

The site states, in its own words: “Range is measured on the WLTC test cycle. Actual range varies with driving and operating conditions.” That is not the same as a WLTP claim. Some launch coverage, including CarSauce, described the 548 km figure as WLTP. HQ’s Australian page does not. Earlier pre-launch reports had cited overseas WLTP ranges of up to 515 km for a 120 kWh E-HS9. We are using HQ’s published 548 km WLTC figure, and we are not treating it as a WLTP number.

On power, the site lists the two motors separately and does not publish a combined kilowatt rating. Adding the axle figures gives 362 kW. Launch coverage has used several combined kilowatt figures that are not on HQ’s site: CarSauce reported 411 kW; CarsGuide reported 410 kW; and CarExpert, EV Central and WhichCar reported 405 kW. Drive published the official 202 kW / 160 kW axle split and did not state a combined kilowatt figure. The 606 Nm figure used in those reports matches the official axle torques added together (306 + 300). Until HQ publishes a combined figure, use the official axle ratings.

The site confirms a 400 V architecture and a battery charging rate of 1.2 C, but it does not list AC or DC rates in kilowatts. CarSauce reported 11 kW three-phase AC and a 140 kW DC peak on Type 2 and CCS2; those speeds remain reported, not confirmed on the HQ page.

Deposits, cashback and warranty

The order page still carries the same consumer terms EV Select quoted before the launch:

The minimum deposit is $2,000. Deposits are refundable; however, a refund may only be requested after six months from the deposit date. Eligible refunds will be processed within five business days to the original payment method where practicable. If the vehicle sale is completed, the applicable cashback is calculated on the deposit paid and provided at the time of sale. No cashback is payable where the EOI is cancelled or the deposit is refunded.

CarSauce reported a launch reward scale running from 11 November 2026 to 18 January 2027: $20,000 deposit for $10,000 cashback; $10,000 for $5,000; $5,000 for $1,250; and $2,000 for a delivery gift. That scale is not published on the HQ pages we checked. The order page refers only to “the applicable cashback.” Anyone paying a deposit should get the offer in writing.

CarSauce also reported a battery warranty of one million kilometres or 10 years for the first owner, and one year of complimentary charging at the dealership. Drive, CarExpert and CarsGuide reported the same first-owner battery term, and they also reported a standard vehicle warranty of seven years or 200,000 km. EV Central said the rest of the car, beyond that first-owner battery warranty, is covered for seven years, without stating a kilometre limit. None of those warranty terms is spelled out on the public HQ pages checked on 12 November.

Deliveries, later models and safety

Customer deliveries from 18 January 2027 were already reported by GoAuto before the launch and repeated by CarSauce. That date is not on the HQ product page.

CarSauce said the smaller rear-wheel-drive EHS4 (68.7 kWh, claimed 470 km WLTP) will be launched in Brisbane in December 2026, with pricing still to come, followed in April 2027 by the all-wheel-drive EHS5 (85 kWh, claimed 522 km WLTP). GoAuto had already put the EHS5 around April 2027. Those battery and range claims are not on HQ’s site. On the dealer network, later coverage is more specific than the pre-launch “around 15” figure. Drive reported that Wu said Hongqi will initially operate five dealerships, spread across key capital cities. EV Central likewise said the brand will start with just five dealerships in mainland capitals. GoAuto, before the launch, had already described five company-run outlets in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, with about 15 planned nationally. The longer-term volume target of about 30,000 vehicles a year remains as previously reported. None of those dealer counts appears on HQ’s own site.

The E-HS9 has a five-star Euro NCAP rating published on 5 March 2025 (82% adult occupant, 87% child, 73% vulnerable road users, 82% safety assist). The test car was a left-hand-drive Deluxe Long Range, kerb weight 2,660 kg, and Euro NCAP applied a penalty after finding a small tear in the driver’s airbag. That rating is not an ANCAP result, and the assessment’s variant table applies it to left-hand drive. It should not be read as a crash rating for the right-hand-drive cars HQ will sell here.

If you are considering a deposit, the useful facts are the official specs now on HQ’s site, the six-month refund lock that is still on the order page, and the absence of a published Australian price. The under-$150,000 figure is an indication given at the launch, not a list price.

Global specs and prices: compare every HQ E-HS9 variant across markets on EVChoice, our sister global EV database.