Geely EX5 Reviews

Chinese automotive giant Geely Auto has revealed its new Xing Yue, claiming the title as the world’s first coupe SUV with a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain option.

Geely, the powerful Chinese conglomerate which currently owns Volvo and Lotus, has launched an all-new electric-only marque dubbed Geometry.

It's the fetching Chinese SUV with vaguely German looks, a Swedish heart, and Australian data dialled into its engineering.

Chinese-market brand will use Volvo platforms and engines.

China's automotive invasion appears to have faltered after a strong start.

WA-based Chinese Automotive Distributors, part of the John Hughes Group and the national distributor for both Geely and ZX Auto, says it demanded a minimum four-star crash rating for the Cruze-size Geely EC7 sedan before considering selling it in Australia.Geely's recent testing to ANCAP standards didn't meet its importer's demands, halting plans to introduce the car to Australia. A director of the group, Rod Gailey, says CAD wanted a minimum of a four-star ANCAP crash test rating for the Cruze-size sedan before considering it for sale in Australia.“The EC7, which had previously scored a Euro four-star rating, recorded a sub-four star rating despite additional safety equipment such as electronic stability control and six airbags,” he says.He says the decision to halt the import plans was one made both by CAD and Geely. “The minimum four-star crash rating was agreed by both Geely and ourselves before Geely conducted the tests,” he says.“We insisted, and Geely agreed, that we wouldn't import the car until it reached a four-star or above crash test rating and unfortunately it didn't meet our expectations.“So Geely and ourselves have put everything on hold.” Mr Gailey says it was possible that the body structure of the car is at fault. He says Geely indicates it isn't economically viable to re-engineer the car to meet higher safety standards for Australia's small volume market.He says it could take 18-24 months for Geely before a new range of models - now in the post-design stage - that satisfy Australian demands for safety and features would be available for Australia. “But Geely has told us that the new cars won't be cheap,” he says.“This will be a new generation of models that will be more competitive in terms of design, engineering and performance so I can't see them being available at the lower-end of the price market.” Mr Gailey says the EC7 was a “quantum leap” ahead of the first Australian-sold Geely, the MK1.5. “But even the EC7 is not engineered for the mature markets,” he says.“We continue to remain involved with Geely, working in partnership on their future model platforms whilst maintaining sales and service support for the Geely MK in Western Australia.” Geely has a range of sedans and SUVs that have potential in the Australian market. The company, which owns Volvo, now sells to 30 countries and exported 100,000 cars in 2012. 

Chinese cars were tipped to dominate the budget-car class and challenge established brands in half the time it took Japanese and South Korean companies - but the bubble has burst before it's properly inflated. After some early success since becoming the first Chinese brand to go on sale in Australia, Great Wall Motors has hit reverse and its Chinese peers are struggling to get into first gear.Official figures for the first five months of the year show Great Wall Motors deliveries are down by 35 per cent compared with the same period the previous year in a record market that is up by 4.5 per cent.Other Chinese brands such as Foton have also had a stalled start. After announcing big plans two years ago Foton has sold fewer than 300 pick-ups in that time.Budget brand Geely has still restricted its sales to Western Australia and Chery's small cars have been stymied by newer competition from established brands. Chery sales are also down by 35 per cent.The Chery J1 hatchback was the cheapest car in Australia in almost two decades when it went on sale with a $9990 drive-away price in 2011, and is now available with a "pay half now, half later'' deal.But it too has failed to rock the sales charts. ''Sales have slowed for now but they will recover,'' says Daniel Cotterill, the spokesman for Ateco, distributor of Great Wall Motors and Chery passenger cars and the Foton truck range.''It's been frustrating for us and the dealers to not have more new models available to us as quickly as we would like."'The other challenge for Chinese car brands is that mainstream marques such as Suzuki, Nissan and Volkswagen have all responded with quality cut-price contenders priced from $11,990 to $13,990 drive-away. "In some ways we are a victim of our initial success,'' said Cotterill. "Other mainstream brands have had to come down in price to compete with us.''Other hurdles: more than 20,000 Great Wall Motors and Chery vehicles were recalled in August 2012 for having asbestos components in their engines. Chinese cars tend to earn poor to scores in crash tests (between two and four stars when the modern industry norm is five stars).But the companies hope to have a reversal of fortunes with a number of new generation Chinese vehicles made to international standards due in local showrooms in the next two years.''There are new models in the pipeline,'' said Cotterill.''We are confident in the ability of the Chinese to respond the Australian car market and boost sales.''This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling 

There’s always at least one crazy at any motor show. Once-conservative China is leaping aboard the outrageous concept-car wagon with Geely - one of China's biggest car makers with a $24 billion turnover in 2012 - trotting out its baby Panda with a 4WD undercarriage. Suitable for Shanghai and Beijing crowded city streets? Definitely. The shoehorning of a big truck frame beneath the Panda - normally a breathless 63kW bubble car - is purely to draw a crowd. Pity Geely didn't apply the same graft on one of its existing 4WD utes. The Panda - called LC in export markets including New Zealand - was on the cards for Australia but was knocked back this year because of the lack of electronic stability control. It does, however, have a five-star crash rating on the China-NCAP test program. The car can't be called a Panda in most markets because the name is registered by Fiat. To reiterate the Panda name in China, the design features Panda paw-shaped tail lights.

Geely’s EC7 sedan, a 1.8-litre sub-$16,000 car that could hit Australian showrooms by September, is the second of the maker’s vehicles to become available in Australia but, says importer John Hughes, the most vital.“This is an important car for us because it comprises all the safety and quality features we demanded,’’ he says, “the EC7 is the result of a lot of hard work - in Australia and China - to bring affordable cars into the country. And I think it’s a fantastic effort, in terms of looks, features, safety and performance.’’But it first needs an acceptable safety rating.  Mr Hughes expects the EC7 to get a minimum of a four-star crash rating by NCAP-standard tests completed early this week in China by Geely.“We’ll take those test results, when they are made available to us, and then offer 10 cars to ANCAP for its own evaluation,’‘ Mr Hughes says, “if they don’t tests them, I’ll pay for testing myself. It is so important that we get this right. Safety is a very high priority for buyers and we want to get the highest level possible within an affordable price range.’’The EC7 will be the first car from Geely’s national distributors John Hughes Group to meet Australia’s car safety standards, including the electronic stability control.John Hughes sells the Geely MK1.5, a small sedan or hatch, in WA only. It does not have ESC as standard and retires from the market at the end of this year.Australia will import two Geely EC7 sedans, all with a 1.8-litre engine, five-speed manual transmission, six airbags, electronic stability control and alloy wheels.The “base’’ model has leather upholstery and a four-speaker audio and the luxury models adds a sunroof, Bluetooth with six speakers, sat-nav, reverse park sensors and an electric driver’s seat. weaThe car has a three-year or 100,000km warranty with a five-year driveline warranty.Mr Gailey says the Geely products meet European emission standards for waterborne paint and have high pedestrian safety scores.The EC7 could be followed by an SUV version. But Australia won’t get the bigger EC8 model because it is not made in right-hand drive.John Hughes and CAD director Rod Gailey joined eight Australian dealers to view the Geely and ZX products at the Shanghai motor show.Geely will provide the importer with its mainstream sedan while rival Chinese company ZX will continue making utes for the Australian market.

Price-sharp Chinese entrant Geely swipes the used-car market with the classy small Emgrand EC7 sedan.The national importer of Geely, Perth-based Chinese Automotive Distributors which is part of the multi-franchise John Hughes Group, this week pinned a $14,990 drive-away sticker on either the sedan or its hatchback sister.The cars arrive about September, first in WA then progressively around the country via about 20 dealers starting in Queensland and NSW this year and Victoria and other states in the new year.Geely, which owns Volvo, is one of China’s biggest car companies and the biggest publicly-owned concern. Many rivals are government owned. Geely has a presence in WA with its $9990 drive-away MK 1.5 hatchback but because it doesn’t have electronic stability control - to be mandated on all passenger cars in Autralia from January 2014 - it is being phased out in December.The next Geely is this car - the EC7 (called Emgrand in domestic and some export markets) - which comes as a hatchback or sedan. It will be followed next year by an SUV.VALUEThe $14,990 drive away price and three-year or 100,000km warranty are instant head turners. The price buys a slick, Cruze-size sedan or hatch with a strong crash rating, six airbags, leather upholstery, 16-inch alloy wheels and full-size spare with Bluetooth and iPod connectivity.For $1000 more, the luxury version adds features including sunroof, sat-nav, rear-park sensors, six-speaker audio (the base has four speakers) and electric driver’s seat. The only downside is it comes in - initially - with only a five-speed manual transmission. An auto will be added next year.DESIGNThe EC7 has conservative, trim lines in both sedan and hatch though subjectively looks classier as a sedan. The boot is huge, aided by a split fold rear seat. Leg and headroom equal or exceed the class average and leather is a standard fit, even though it feels more like vinyl.The dash is simple yet effective and though hard plastic abounds, contrasting colours and subtle trim overcome any tactile disappointments. Nice touches include the push-button boot release on the dash. The overwhelming impression is that this is a more expensive car.TECHNOLOGYSimplicity is the key. Geely is one of the few Chinese car makers to build engines and transmissions as well as the bodies. Its four-year-old factory in south-eastern Hangzhou Bay - one of two exclusively making the EC7 - is Japanese-level squeaky clean and run to military-grade order with European robots and hundreds of workers that produce 120,000 cars a year.But the car’s specs are simple - 102kW/172Nm 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol with variable-valve timing that drives a five-speed manual gearbox (a CVT auto comes next year) to the front wheels aided by four-wheel disc brakes and hydraulic-assist steering.SAFETYThe car has a four-star Euro-NCAP rating but is to be tested to ANCAP standards. The distributor is adament it won’t get less than four stars, or he will pause the launch date - set for September - and get it fixed until it reaches that rating. There’s also electronic stability control, six airbags, heated side mirrors, full-size spare (on an alloy wheel), ABS brakes and electronic brakeforce distribution and the Luxury model ($15,990) gets rear park sensors.DRIVINGExpectations can be frustratingly anti-climatic. Take my planned drive in Geely’s new EC7 sedan that didn’t materialise. Instead, I was a passenger as a test driver shook down a car that had minutes before rolled off the production line. The rough test track that attempted to unbolt my skeleton didn’t produce a squeak or twist in the chassis and didn’t meet expectations of a lightly-built car that was underpowered, noisy and harsh-riding - all attributes coincidentally of Korea’s first car, the Hyundai Pony (later rebadged Excel), that I tested in Perth in the early 1980s.Aside from myself and the driver, passengers were Queensland construction manager Glenn Rohrig (at 186cm tall) and the CEO of multi-car Brisbane-based franchise Motorama, Mark Woelders (183cm). All are impressed by the leg and headroom, ride comfort and quietness. This car will sell for less than $16,000 drive away and though it is - initially - only a manual, Mr Woelders predicts strong demand.“The quality of the car is much better than I expected,’‘ he says. “It has exceptional ride and quietness and is a fantastic, quality package.’‘ Mr Woelders says there remains a market for a manual transmission car though expects the upcoming automatic to signal volume sales. “As a used-car alternative, it has a strong warranty and safety features. Certainly, to a degree, it will affect our used-car operation.’’VERDICTImpressive effort and one well worth considering.GEELY EMGRAND EC7Price: from $14,990 drive-awayWarranty: 3 years/100,000 kmResale: n/aService interval: 10,000km/12 monthsCapped price service: NoSafety rating: 4-starSpare: Full-sizeEngine: 1.8-litre 4-cyl petrol 102kW/172NmTransmission: 5-spd manual, front driveBody: 4.6m (L); 1.8m (w); 1.5m (h)Weight: 1296kgThirst: 6.7 1/100km; 91RON; 160g/km Co2