Geely EX5 Reviews

That’s Volvo’s plan as it begins to roll out a range of electric and hybrid cars. It is making its own four-cylinder engine and plans to turbocharge it and add it to hybrid drivetrains within a few years. That means the end of Volvo five and six-cylinder engines, says Volvo’ senior vice president for product, Lex Kerssemakers. Speaking to Carsguide in Frankfurt, Mr Kerssemakers says Volvo’s Chinese owners - Geely - have supported the Swede and allowed a fresh look at new product.Though Mr Kerssemakers was reticent on detail, he says Volvo was now ready to release a new S40 - and its wagon variant, the V50 - which would boast increased fuel efficiency. “We had to ook at what we were and what we represented to our buyers,’’ he says. “We have always been seen as a company that was very aware of its social responsibility - and that includes the emissions of our cars - through safety. “We have progressed to making very good looking cars. We also make very good turbocharged engines - we have been doing turbocharging for 30-odd years - so now we have the basis for a step into the future.’’Kerssemakers says the new four-cylinder engine will be available in power outputs from 110kW to 220kW and deliver up to 440Nm of torque. “Now, put that with an electric hybrid drive with 200Nm and you have a very fast car that is capable of very low fuel consumption,’‘ he says. “Instantly, you have a sports car. It’s a very clear choice for us - ditch the cylinders. “We are developing our own engine nd it will be available in a few years. There will be overlap from the existing engines but ultimately, we will be a four-cylinder car company with hybrid and plug-in electric capability.’’Volvo is trialling a fleet of C30 plug-in cars in Scandanavia and is expected to start rolling out hybrid models from 2012. Kerssemakers says while Sweden doesn’t offer government subsidies for private motorists who choose low-emission cars such as hybrids, he says the cost benefit to the owner was very significant. Kerssemakers expressed concern about the plight of Saab. He says the possible loss of the company from Sweden would be “devastaing’‘ to supplier companies and to Sweden itself. “It also affects engineering and design students coming through universities and in that way, erodes Sweden’s value as a supplier of intellectual property,’‘ he says.Saab is still fighting for financial survival and was absent at the Frankfurt motor show.

The Geely MK 1.5-litre sedan will be the nation's equal cheapest car, matched by the 1.3-litre Proton S16.  A shipload of 100 sedans arrived in Perth this week and go on sale within a fortnight.Australian distributor, Perth-based John Hughes, says the MK will only be sold in WA. The high profile dealer, the state's biggest, has built a new showroom close to the city centre for Geely.He says the MK will only be sold in WA primarily because it currently is the sole Geely product.  "I can't get dealers to commit finances to a new showroom to support one model," he says.  "When other models arrive, then the brand will be available across the country."The second reason for the containment of sales in WA is because the MK doesn't have electronic stability control and won't meet the 2011 vehicle standard of Victoria."But the next Geely model, the Panda LC, will go on sale around the middle of this year as an automatic and with stability control," he says."This will be followed by the bigger 1.8-litre EC7 sedan in the third quarter."The MK is a four-door sedan with only a five-speed manual. Its standard features include a five-year warranty, airconditioning, two airbags, remote central locking, alloy wheels and electric windows.  A second shipment of 100 cars is expected next month.Mr Hughes, who has huge success with his multi-franchise dealerships, was the original distributor and retailer of Hyundai in the mid-1980s. He has frequently been Australia's biggest selling Hyundai dealer by volume, not capita.

The Geely CK, which is sold without airbags in Latin countries and the Caribbean, scores zero stars in the same 64km/h frontal-impact test used in Australia. The best of the nine cars ranked in the first Latin NCAP testing is the Toyota Corolla with four stars, but four of the cars are sold without airbags and scored poorly. The Geely did, however, manage two stars for child occupant protection although the NCAP results point to "significant collapse of the bodyshell during test". Latin NCAP joins a growing worldwide safety push through independent crash testing and evaluation of life-saving motoring technology.  “We are introducing Latin NCAP to Latin America and the Caribbean because we want to see a dramatic improvement in the safety of cars across our region. Our ultimate and most important aim is to save people’s lives," says Nani Rodriguez, executive secretary of Latin NCAP. The nine cars tested are among the most popular models sold in Latin America and the Caribbean. Latin NCAP scores: Geely CK (no airbags) - zero starsFiat Palio (no airbags) - two starsFiat Palio with airbags - three starsVW Gol (Subs: correct) (no airbags) - one star Peugeot 207 (no airbags) - one star Peugeot 207 with airbags - two stars Chevrolet Meriva - three stars Toyota Corolla - four stars

The third brand to commit to local sales - after Chery and Great Wall - says it will have its first cars in showrooms by September and aims to sell a minimum of 5000 cars a year within 18 months.But it is taking a low-key approach with the local agent, John Hughes, building a plan around local success in Western Australia before moving to eastern states early in 2011.  "We want to get people to put the cars on their shopping list, even though the cars are made in China and the brand is not recognised," says Hughes.He says a single-car lineup with the Geely MK, a 1.5-litre compact sedan, is not enough to build a dealer network and so he is concentrating on getting things moving in WA.  "We plan to order our first cars in June with sales, in WA only, around September," says Hughes."We have to under-promise and over-deliver, so we would like to start recruiting dealers in the first quarter of next year. We want to establish the brand in WA with our own particular expertise."  Hughes knows all about start-up brands as he was one of the original Hyundai agents in Australia, eventually becoming the world's best selling dealership for the Korean brand.This time he is going along and has a structured approach to the Geely business.  "We are weeks away from getting ADR approval on the MK. The hatchback will be a couple of months behind the sedan, and the automatic will be another couple of months behind that again. But still all the MK model," Hughes says."The next one will be the LC, which is called the Panda in China, and we're talking about the first quarter of next year.  "After that will be the EC7, which is a 1.8-litre car in a hatch and sedan. Then we'll launch East."He says the Geely price approach is similar to the other Chinese companies, sitting at Korean levels with more equipment. It's the same with sales targets.  "The MK is really a pilot, so it will be modest numbers. The Panda will be good, and the EC7 too. We'll get into serious numbers in the second half of 2011."We're looking at around 5000 a year, although we won't necessarily do 5000 in the first year."  Geely makes a giant splash at Auto China 2010 in Beijing with 42 different models on 19 mechanical platforms with 15 different engines.It also has hybrid and plug-in electric cars, as well as big plans to build two million cars a year by 2015.  "Out of those 42 different models, there are 11 targeted at the right- hand drive market," says John Hughes."Whilst Geely are marketing three different brands in the Chinese market - including Emgrand and Englon - we intend to bring any of the products to Australia under the one umbrella, which is Geely."He hopes to get the brand's green cars as soon as they are available but is waiting for confirmation from China.  "We have seen the hybrid and electric cars in Beijing, but it's a wait- and-see situation for us at the moment."And what about more brands to join Geely in the Hughes' portfolio?  "I've got no comment on that. We are totally committed to the distribution of Geely."

The first large-scale imports of passenger cars will begin later this year and the man leading the China drive refuses to put an upper limit on sales, or the rate at which they are likely to grow in Australia. Great Wall is already selling a low-cost utility and SUV but the floodgates will open in the final quarter of this year when the Geely and Chery brands begin sales of compact passenger cars with prices - and value - that undercuts the Korean benchmark brands."Would it be silly to say the Chinese will have 10 per cent of the market in five years? I don't think so," says Rick Hull, who heads Great Wall and Chery in Australia.  He has vast experience of low-cost imports after heading up the import action for the three biggest Korean brands - Hyundai, then Daewoo and finally Kia - during his career.Hull said it took the Korean carmakers around 10 years - with help from Ford sales of the Korean-built Ford Festiva - to top 100,000 sales a year.  He already believes the Chinese brands could do it in half that time, thanks to cheap labour rates, rapid technology improvements, growth in total vehicle sales in Australia, and the earlier example of Japanese and Korean brands."I really don't know how fast it will happen. But it has the potential to happen very quickly," Hull says, as he leads a small group of Australian journalists to Chery, Great Wall and the Beijing motor show this week.  Hull believes many more Chinese brands will eventually join the export push, with 47 major makers in the country and production capacity soaring towards 20 million vehicles a year.He is not expecting much action from the 26 joint-venture makers - Chinese companies in partnership with everyone from Volkswagen and General Motors to Volvo and Suzuki - but knows the 21 independents will be looking for growth outside their home country.  In Australia, Hull believes there will not be any sub-$10,000 pricetags but he predicts rapid growth in high-value compact cars and big, fast changes to the way Chinese cars look and feel.He says safety and quality will become a top priority much faster than they were in Korean cars, because the Chinese must compete on equal terms and win buyers with a value-added edge in showrooms.  Korean sales reached their peak in Australia at around 112,000 in 1998, just 12 years after Hyundai was established with the original Excel.Hull believes Chinese brands can hit the same 100,000-a-year benchmark in less than half that time and does not rule out China-made cars quickly overtaking Thailand - currently the biggest overseas supplier to Australia at around 220,000 a year - son after 2020. "Who really knows? Five years for the Chinese to hit 100,000? I think that could easily happen," Hull says.  "And you have to remember that the market in Australia is now profoundly bigger than it was when the Koreans did it."

The three companies with Australia in their sights - Great Wall, Chery and Geely - are all expected to unveil new value-driven compacts and SUVs at the country's biggest annual motoring event.  Great Wall is the only brand with vehicles already in local showrooms, a dual-cab ute and SUV, but Chery and Geely will both hit the road down under before the end of 2010.BYD, a technology leader for China, is also planning to reveal its first plug-in electric cars in Beijing although it currently has no plans to sell overseas.  All 47 of China's manufacturers are expected to have something new at the show, with a move away from the copycat designs of the past - everything from the Rolls-Royce Phantom to the BMW X5 was either parodied or duplicated - to unique Chinese designs."They will all show their new export cars," says Ric Hull, the Ateco Automotive executive responsible for the Great Wall and Chery brands.  Hull says the Chinese car industry is advancing so rapidly it is hard to keep tabs on the new-model action."I think everything has to be seen in the context of the market. The Chinese made and sold about 13.6 million vehicles last year, and the US was 10.4 million," he says.  "They have not only eclipsed the US, they have gone way beyond them. In good years the US is 17 million, but the Chinese are there already."In the first quarter of this year, they have sold 4.6 million vehicles. So you're now talking 18 or 20 million a year. It's just gone bezerk.  "The thing that fascinates me most is how anyone can lift production to those levels. I don't believe the Japanese could do it, or even the Koreans."Hull says Ateco is already on track with additions to the Great Wall range including a single-cab ute, with Chery to hit first with a compact SUV.  "We'll launch Chery in August. It has just been an agonizing process to get the compliance issues in place, but it will be fine."I'm hoping to launch a RAV4-kind of vehicle at a really good price.  "Great Wall are talking about a 1.5-litre car that we'll introduce before the end of the year. They are getting there and getting there awfully, awfully quickly."Hull says he is expecting rapid improvement in Chinese vehicles, with quality and safety as top priorities.  Great Wall is just about to face its second ANCAP crash-test barrier in Australia and, following the miserable two-star result for the ute, Hull is hoping for a four-star rating for the brand's SUV."We took a hammering from NCAP on the utes but Great Wall reacted and they have made a lot of changes," Hull says.  Car sales in China are so important that all the world's major makers will be displaying in Beijing.Even though many skipped last year's Tokyo Motor Show, previously the world's equal number one with Frankfurt every two years, no-one can afford to miss the biggest motoring event in China.  There were more than a dozen world previews at the last Beijing show and a lot of the action is at the upmarket end of the business in 2010.Ferrari is unveiling its new go-faster flagship, the 599 GTO, and Mercedes-Benz will reveal an update of the $1.5 million Maybach ultra- luxury limousine.

Chinese carmaker Geely today has sealed a $1.98 billion deal to buy Volvo Cars from Ford.  However Ford spokesperson Sinead McAlary says the Blue Oval will still be getting engines, safety technology and other assets from Volvo for a while.“Volvo will continue to supply us with engines, stampings and other components for a period of time,” McAlary says, although she declined to predict how long that ‘period of time’ would be.  After today’s signing, Zhejiang Geely Holding chairman Li Shufu said he saw huge untapped potential for Volvo in international markets and especially in China, which has not only the biggest but also one of the fastest-growing car markets in the world."I see Volvo as a tiger. (The) tiger belongs to a forest, it can't be found in a zoo ... We need to liberate this tiger,'' he told a press conference after the deal was inked at Volvo Cars headquarters in Gothenburg, southern Sweden."The tiger has a heart and it lies in Sweden, (and) in Belgium but it's power should be projected all over the world.  I see China as one of the markets where Volvo can show it has the opportunity to liberate itself,'' he said.In the face of concerns that the Chinese group would slash jobs in Sweden, Geely said it would keep Volvo Cars plants in Sweden and Belgium and was considering opening factories in China for the local market.Geely said it had not only secured financing for the $US1.8 billion it was paying Ford Motor Company for Volvo, but was also eager to keep the loss-making Swedish carmaker in operation.  It also said the deal, which Ford initially agreed to in December, included agreements on intellectual property rights as well as supply and research and development arrangements between Volvo Cars, Geely and Ford.The deal will bring to an end Ford's decade-long association with the premium Swedish brand, known for its sturdy, family-friendly cars.  For Geely, which started as a refrigerator parts maker, the deal marks a new chapter in its international expansion after two of its Chinese rivals failed to take over Western brands, Hummer of the US and Saab of Sweden.The deal had initially caused consternation among unions at Volvo Cars, which employs about 22,000 people worldwide, including 16,000 in Sweden.   Unions had voiced opposition to the deal on grounds that it was vague on expansion plans and possible layoffs.Three Volvo unions this week pressed for details "on the capital that will finance Volvo's daily activities, investment on future projects and the production target of 600,000 vehicles by 2015''.  On Saturday they pronounced themselves satisfied.In addition to preserving Volvo Cars' factories in Sweden and Belgium, Geely said the Swedish company would be run as a separate company with its headquarters in Gothenburg.  With a workforce of 12,000 people, including 1600 engineers, the Geely group has grown into one of China's largest private carmakers since it launched its auto manufacturing business in 1997.It operates six car assembly and power-train manufacturing plants across China with a combined production capacity of 300,000 cars per year. The firm also owns nearly 500 dealerships and 600 service stations in the country.Geely has an overseas sales and service network of nearly 300 outlets and runs plants in foreign countries including Ukraine, Russia and Indonesia. Overseas sales have totalled less than 200,000 units.

In welcoming the $2 billion takeover of Volvo Cars Corp by the Geely automotive group, Desselss said it would be business as usual in Australia.  "Now that it's done I think we can move forward with a lot more certainty and conviction," he said.Desselss welcomed yesterday's announcement that the Geely car company will pay Ford $2 billion for Volvo Cars Corp.  The price includes a $200 million note and the remainder to be paid in cash. Ford bought Volvo for $6.5 billion in 1999."It's a bargain for Geely," Desselss said. "I don't think too many Western companies have that sort of money."  Desselss said Geely understands where Volvo should be heading."They want Volvo to continue to grow and they're prepared to invest in it," he said.  Desselss says the biggest opportunity for Volvo was in the Chinese premium market."The Chinese premium segment is scheduled to grow quite significantly over the next five to 10 years.  It is expected to grow from 40,000 cars to 600,000 cars by 2019."There are massive growth opportunities for any manufacturer in China.  Clearly, as a Chinese-owned company now obviously that's got to improve quite dramatically."Geely is one of the fastest growing Chinese brands, with a range of competent small cars.  Last year it sold more than 325,000 vehicles there, slightly less than Volvo's figure of 334,000 cars globally.The Swedish brand already has a small presence in China, selling 15,000 locally built S40 and S80s there last year.  However, Geely executives believe Volvo can sell upwards of 200,000 cars a year in China alone.Under the deal Ford will continue to provide Zhejian Geely Holding Group Co Ltd with powertrains, stampings and other vehicle components.  It will also provide engineering and IT support and access to component tooling for a set transition period.Geely chairman Li Shufu said Volvo would retain its identity and strategic independence.  The Ford sale comes on the back of General Motor's decision to offload Saab to the Dutch sportscar maker Spkyer and Hummer to the Chinese.Geely roughly translates to "I am lucky".  It's Volvo who could be the luckiest.

The current benchmark is the Proton S16, which will be priced from $10,990 in June, but the first Chinese imports are more likely to be priced against the Hyundai Getz in the $13,990 zone.Baby cars from Great Wall and Chery are expected first from China, followed by Geely, and the man leading the push says he is more worried about value than a rock-bottom price.  "We're not even trying to get to $10,990. Absolutely not. We don't see Proton as a big deal, to be honest," says Neville Crichton, boss of the Great Wall and Chery importer, Ateco."We'd like to stay, probably, dollar-for-dollar, where Hyundai is. But with better specced cars."  Crichton plans to have a 1.4-litre Great Wall car in showrooms in July, alongside a RAV4-size SUV, with the first Chery just a month later, and he is pushing value ahead of a rock-bottom price."We'll have better value in the cars. We will launch with a small SUV, the same size as a RAV4, which we will put in the market under $20,000, drive-away. It will be very competitive.  "I think it's just good-value motor cars. That's exactly what we're selling - good, reliable, economic transport."Great Wall is already underway with an SUV and ute and, despite a poor two-star ANCAP safety rating and a recall for the ute, Crichton predicts sales of around 8000 vehicles through 2010.  But he has much bigger plans when Chery and Great Wall get into gear."We certainly see that within three years we'll be selling in excess of 20,000 Chinese vehicles, between the two brands."  Ateco has huge experience as an independent importer, currently holding franchises from Ferrari to Citroen and Fiat, but its biggest volume success was with Kia. It took the brand to a major presence in Australia before Kia decided to buy the business back and Crichton says there is no reason he cannot do it again."We had a huge success with Kia, taking it to 26,000. They've had three years and they still haven't got back to that."  Crichton knows the safety concerns surrounding the Chinese cars but says his brands are moving rapidly away from their copycat roots, tweaking existing designs from western brands, and are capable of doing better than the two-star score for the Great Wall pickup."We would like a minimum of three stars. I think thtat's a good start.    With two airbags," he says.

The total for Great Wall alone, with Chery and Geely to join the action around the middle of this year, will hit 8000 vehicles by the end of 2010.  So says star importer Neville Crichton, whose company Ateco has a long list of successes including a 26,000-year with Kia before the Korean company bought the farm back in Australia."In five years we'll see the Chinese with a major, major share of the Australian market," says Crichton.  "I see no reason why we can't do the same (as Kia) with the Chinese brands. We certainly see that within three years we'll be selling in excess of 20,000 Chinese vehicles, between our two brands, Great Wall and Chery."There is already a Great Wall pickup and SUV in Australia, with Chery about to open with a RAV4-sized SUV at $19,990 drive-away and a 1.4-litre car as the price leader. But Crichton says there will not be a sub-$10,000 car in the Chery family."We'd like to stay, probably, dollar-for-dollar, where Hyundai is. But with better specced cars," he says.  He also sees a surprising twist, as the Chinese brands target Japan ahead of Korea.  "I don't see the Japanese disappearing, but I think the Chinese cars will affect them more than the Koreans. Strictly on price,” Crichton says."If you walked into one of their factories, blindfolded, you would think it was Volkswagen or Audi factory. They are getting very good, very quickly.  "We've got a lot of faith in our Chinese partners."While Ateco has Great Wall and Chery - at least a first - the Geely brand will be imported by John Hughes of Perth. He plans to have three WA dealers operating around midyear, with a progressive national rollout.