An official with FAW Car Co., Ltd. said Tuesday that one of the company's sedans would be used in a grand military parade scheduled in Beijing on National Day, Oct. 1.
"I believe that the National Day military parade will definitely use the Red Flag sedan," which was domestically designed and developed, said Bai Yu, party chief of the company based in Jilin Province, northeast China.
Bai didn't give further details, but media reports have speculated that a new, high-end HQE model is expected to appear during the military review planned for the 60th anniversary of the founding of New China.
The 6m-long HQE, the Red Flag's top model, is expected to go on sale this year for more than 3 million yuan (437,700 U.S. dollars).
The Red Flag brand has been the pride of China's car industry, said Bai.
Late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping and former President Jiang Zemin rode in Red Flag cars during National Day parades in 1984 and 1999, respectively.
FAW Car is a holding subsidiary of China's largest car maker, FAW Group Corp., and was the first listed car producer in China. Red Flag and Benteng are two of its major models.
Since the first Red Flag came off the production line in 1958, it has been used in many grand celebrations in China.
(Xinhua News Agency May 27, 2009)
