Every car has to go through a rigorous set of crash tests before it hits the road. But we\u2019ve never seen a crash test quite like this. Videos posted on TikTok and X show a Chinese-market\u00a0Hongqi SUV (what appears to be a compact HS5) getting battered, beaten, and set on fire \u2013 and surviving all of it.<\/p>\n
The video starts with a giant flaming wrecking ball that smahes into the passenger side of the vehicle, which the HS5 absorbs surprisingly well. It dents the doors and sets off the side airbags, but that\u2019s about it. Some commenters suggest the ball could be made of plastic \u2013 still, it’s<\/em>\u00a0on fire<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n From there, the Hongqi drives through a field of minor explosions before smashing into two brick walls (or what look like brick walls). And finally, they drop a small hatchback on its roof \u2013 which barely dents the top of the SUV \u2014 before it’s able to drive away under its own power.<\/p>\n Hongqi models are built to be tough. China’s leader Xi Jinping and his personnel ride around in armored Hongqi N701 limos. It\u2019s unclear if the SUV in the video is also an armored vehicle meant for government use \u2013 although, the explosions suggest it could be.<\/p>\n