Experience a crash test of Chinese hubris. We were used to seeing the Hongqi («Red Flag») in official parades or near high-end restaurants. It’s a symbol of status—velvet curtains and the scent of an expensive cigar. But now, the folks at the mainland company FAW decided that their bosses were tired of driving over potholes. Meet the G919—an attempt to hybridize the Soviet ZIL-41052 armored vehicle with the ultimate luxury of the Rolls-Royce Cullinan.

On the outside, it looks like a joke designed by engineers who were given too many Yuan. A massive chromed grille, the size of a dining table, flows into an absolutely vertical front end. This car doesn’t drive down the road—it pushes it aside. The wheels are enormous, and the Chinese designers aren’t hiding the fact that they based the frame on the Tank 700. In short, beneath the layer of paint and gold hides a rugged off-roader.

Inside, a circus begins with horses. If you thought a Mercedes-Maybach S-Class was expensive, you simply haven’t seen the Hongqi options catalog. There is natural wood, exclusively cut under moonlight, nappa leather even underfoot, and decorative inlays made of genuine precious metal. The rear row is a private office complete with a foot massager, a personal refrigerator, and a partition that lifts with the sound of a guillotine.

But the real magic is how it drives. Forget about sharp handling. On asphalt, this three-ton beast floats as if the road were oiled. But on a rough country lane… You engage low range, lock the differentials, and this lacquered shed calmly grinds through logs and cobblestones. The suspension swallows meter-deep potholes, while you sit in the back, sipping fine tea from a porcelain cup and gazing at the starry ceiling.

What is its purpose? To compete with the G-Wagon? No. This is an answer to the nouveau riche who bought a Defender. The new G919 tells the world: I don’t care about your off-roading; I can drive through your mud without getting my shoes dirty. The price is being kept secret, hinting that it won’t be cheaper than a plane. And that’s right. This ridiculous, massive, and pretentious machine has its own charm of absolute superiority. And even the poor love it.