New Delhi, September 13, 2026

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived for the BRICS Summit with his own armoured limousine. The Hongqi N701, brought from China for his visit, drew attention on Delhi’s roads as Xi travelled from the airport on Saturday. It was Xi’s first visit to India in seven years. His talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the summit’s agenda carried the diplomatic weight. But the long black limousine drew attention too, reflecting both the security around Xi’s visit and China’s choice of a home-built state car.

The N701 is estimated to be about 5.5 metres, or 18 feet, long and to weigh more than three tonnes. It is built for China’s top leadership and is not available to private buyers. Its size allows for a spacious rear cabin surrounded by heavy protection. Media reported the estimated length and weight, while noting that China has released few official details about the car.

Reports describe reinforced bodywork, bullet-resistant glass and protected tyres designed to keep the vehicle moving if damaged. Some also suggest that the cabin has an independent air system to protect its occupants during a chemical attack. Hongqi has not publicly confirmed the car’s precise level of protection. Other details of its engine and power output differ, so those figures cannot be independently verified.  

The design, however, is there for everyone to see. The limousine has a tall chrome grille, a long bonnet and a red emblem at the front. Hongqi means “Red Flag”, and the brand has been associated with China’s state leadership since the 1950s. On a foreign visit, the N701 provides protected transport while displaying a distinctly Chinese state car.

It also has an indirect link to Modi’s travels. During the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in China in 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled in a Hongqi L5. That car belongs to the same marque but is a different model from Xi’s N701.

Another presidential limousine had already produced a memorable image at the BRICS meetings. After their bilateral talks on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin got into Putin’s armoured Aurus Senat. They travelled together to the INNOPROM industrial exhibition within the Bharat Mandapam campus.

Modi and Putin have travelled together before, including during meetings outside India. Their Delhi ride was brief. There is no official account of what they discussed inside the car, and the journey should not be mistaken for another round of formal talks. It did, however, offer a relaxed public image after a meeting that covered trade, energy, defence and conflicts abroad.

The two cars held attention for different reasons. Xi’s Hongqi showed the scale of the security arrangements that accompanied his return to India. Putin’s Aurus became the setting for another moment of car diplomacy with Modi. The serious business of BRICS took place at the conference table, but its limousines gave the summit two images people could follow beyond it.