ZHEJIANG Geely Holding Group (ZGH) or Geely, which is the biggest privately owned automobile manufacturer in China, is back in the country after 10 long years.
This time around, Geely vehicles will be distributed by Sojitz G Auto Philippines, a reputable Japanese firm. They will oversee Geely operations in the country as well as provide sales, parts and services. Sojitz is the same company that previously worked with Mitsubishi Motors Philippines and currently distributes Fuso trucks.
In China, ZGH’s flagship brand Geely Auto emerged as the top Chinese car brand in 2017 and is one of the fastest growing automotive groups in the world.
Geely also markets the Swedish luxury car brand, Volvo, which they own 100 percent.
ZGH was founded in 1986 and, in 1997, they entered the automotive industry and focused on technological innovation, the cultivation of talent, and laying a foundation built on core competitiveness—promoting healthy and sustainable development.
10 years ago, local distributor Cats Motors Inc. partnered with AutoChina and tried to sell Geely Panda in the Philippines but did not do well because the sales force was not focused. However, the newly-appointed distributor Sojitz, which is optimistic and highly-motivated, is most likely to succeed with their first vehicle in the market, the 2020 Geely Coolray Sport, a compact crossover SUV. The Coolray will be launched with a bang in the last quarter of the year according to Geely Philippines marketing manager Ryan Isana.
“We are very excited with the Coolray and we really think that the Filipinos will like it especially its features and the price. We are really looking forward to launching it,” said Isana. The Coolray was formerly named “SX11” and it was renamed in August 2018 to Binyue.
The Coolray is the first high-performance SUV based on a B-segment Modular Architecture (BMA) platform thanks to the leading technology of BMA, the Coolray distinguishes itself in powertrain, electric systems, interior design, smart connectivity and dealership network.
The Coolray boasts of a 1.5TD engine jointly developed with Volvo that outshines its peers, the leading 7-speed wet dual-clutch automatic transmission as well as the outstanding chassis calibration. It has a maximum power of 177 hp at 5,500 rpm and maximum torque of 255 N-m from 1,500-4,000 rpm, better than 2.5L naturally aspirated engines. It is one of the best 1.5T engines in terms of performance.
The Coolray is an SUV with high power performance, which provides a better experience for the customer with its cutting-edge technology. Featured with an extraordinary acceleration of 7.9s 0-100 km/h, excellent steering and control, intelligent technologies and an abundant range of safety configurations, the Coolray will definitely become a new benchmark and will be competing against its rivals including the Ford EcoSport, Honda HR-V, Hyundai Kona as well as the Nissan Kicks, Renault Captur and BMW X1.
The Coolray is a five-seater SUV, which measures 4,330 mm long, 1,800 mm wide, 1,609-mm tall, with a 2,600 mm wheelbase and is built on Geely’s BMA platform. The Coolray is designed, based on the concept “Racing through Space and Time”, inspired by confident, challenging and athletic urban young people, integrated with the “wingspan” design as open to demonstrate the “beauty of the young power” and to make Coolray another of Geely’s high-performance global market oriented vehicle full of energy, confidence and strength.
The Coolray sport edition carries the brand-new black logo, a flattened design based on the “Six-Pack-Abs”. This new logo is inspired by the term “True Self” and stresses the brand’s “infinity”. It is equipped with LED daytime running lights, plane-like front bumper, Wingspan muscular waistline, Bi-color wheel hub, Wings of Time tail light, Tail Spoiler, Wings of Time tri-color ambient light and Racing inspired exhaust pipes.
The interior used contrasting blacks and browns—the colors of outer space which provide a futuristic look, the broad application of matte metal trims with brushed metal surface to the interior trim panels that emphasize simplicity and luxury. As Geely’s brand new global strategic model with high performance and amazing appearance, the cockpit exudes a “Star Warrish” feel, which is enhanced by a Wingspan high-tech cabin and a Wingspan Dashboard. A 10.25-inch HD touchscreen is mounted in the center for infotainment and connectivity. On the dashboard, the clear wingspan curve extends from the screen to door panel creating a spacious visual effect and reiterates a luxurious experience by using a classical lateral brushed metal technique including the Electronic gearshift and Jet engine inspired vents—implies strong power and leading technology.
The Coolray is loaded with multiple high-tech smart driving systems including Automated Parking Assist (APA), 360 camera, Blind Spot Detection (BSD) system, Electric Power Steering (EPS), electronic gearshift and etc. that provide a carefree, smart and safe driving experience.
The Automated Parking Assist (APA) automatically searches for perpendicular and parallel parking spots and identifies obstacles in the process to ensure safe parking. The EPS provides three modes namely Eco, Common and Sport that adjust the steering force accordingly for the comfort and safety of the driver. The Blind Spot Detection (BSD) system is when the speed is within the range of 30-135km/h, the system scans the rear blind zone of 3m*3m with a 58 kHz ultrasonic radar and warns the driver and the radar is set to ignore static objects and objects captured for less than one second when overtaking to minimize invalid alarms.
Millennials are becoming more and more important for the current automotive market as automobiles serve not only as means of transport for them, but also reflect their personalities and values. They have also brought higher expectations to automobiles regarding appearance, power performance and safety.
Geely’s Coolray is a refined SUV designed to best fit these expectations.
With all these features, Geely vehicles will be welcomed in the Philippines with open arms and the encounter will be sweeter the second time around.
Image credits: Tet Andolong, Geely