since 1976
since 1976
CHINA is a clear leader in electric vehicle sales, which picked up strongly in recent years, especially with the Government promoting clean energy vehicles. The great multitude of EV models at the recent Shanghai Auto Show is a clear reflection of the direction the Chinese vehicle market is heading.
Globally, EV sales attained 2.1 million units in 2018, a 64-per cent rise from 2017, and the sales volume is expected to increase to 3.2 million this year. Of the 2018 sales volume, China sets the pace with 1.2 million EVs sold or 57 per cent of the global total. Europe and the US are a distant second (409,000) and third (358,000) respectively, albeit reflecting strong growth as well.
Though limited mileage and limited charging stations are among the main factors going against general EV adoption currently, battery development and government commitment to positive environmental changes would play a significant role in EVs becoming the car of choice soon enough. As it were, there is already a company in Europe that says it has developed a battery system capable of providing a 1000km mileage.
Geely might not have been heard much of in Malaysia until it came into joint ownership of Proton last year. On the world automotive stage, it had already guided Volvo to be a profitable entity since taking over the company some 10 years ago. The Hangzhou-based automotive company also bought sizeable shares in Daimler and owns the iconic London Taxi franchise.
With its Proton venture, it also acquired Lotus and has already laid the groundwork in research and development (R&D) and design centres as well as a state-of-the-art production facility to promote this brand. For sure, the Geely Auto Group harbours strong ambitions to be a creditable automobile manufacturer and aims to be among the top ten world brands in the near future.
Heeding the Chinese government push to produce clean energy vehicles, Geely announced its ‘Blue Geely’ initiative in November 2015 that saw it move from focusing on traditional combustion engine technologies to concentrating entirely on new energy vehicle sales and development. This included overhauling its entire product portfolio from 2016 to 2020 with the mass production of new energy vehicles that include pure electric, mild hybrid electric (MHEV) and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV). It believes this move has raised its profile as a market leader of automotive technologies in China.
That journey saw the recent launch of a new brand Geometry in Singapore and the introduction of its first model Geometry A. Although Geely already has ‘new energy’ vehicles in its product portfolio – Emgrand EV450 sedan and GSe SUV as well as the Geely Bo Rui GE PHEV and MHEV – with impressive sales (a combined 68,459 in 2018), it obviously sees the need for a dedicated entity to spearhead its ambitions.
In collaboration with the CaoCao environmental-friendly ride hailing service, more than 32,000 Emgrand EV450 pure electric cars were put to good use in 30 cities in China. We had the pleasure of taking a CaoCao Emgrand EV450 from the Hangzhou city centre to the airport during a recent visit to the Geely Experience Centre at the headquarter complex. Apart from the road noise, it was a quiet ride and the torquey performance was clearly noted as the car picked up speed quickly.
The pure electric Emgrand range would come under the Geometry brand but would retain its model names. However, all new products under the Geometry portfolio would adopt the English alphabetical order. Thus, the first model is called Geometry A. Apart from being the first letter in the English alphabetical system, it is also linked to the first letter of the name Archimedes, hailed as the father of mathematical physics.
Model ‘A’ is seen to personify the true spirit of Geometry – multi-dimensional, focused and pure. The aims are to redefine the aesthetic standards for pure electric A-segment sedans. It is the starting point that would see Geometry launching more than 10 pure electric models based on a modular platform by 2025. Being a clear rival to Tesla as a pure electric vehicle entity, Geometry finds its niche as a maker of EVs with good mileage of 410km to 500km on a single charge.
The strong determination on Geometry’s success is backed by an investment of more than 30 billion RMB (renminbi) in new energy R&D and industrial layout, with above 300 core technology patents developed. Its development is carried out by Geely’s new energy R&D and manufacturing systems that include five global R&D centres, five global design centres and more than 3000 R&D design personnel. All these global resources were integrated into a ‘world-class’ new energy eco-industrial chain.The Geometry A is a premium sedan with a 2.6-metre panoramic roof and class-leading aerodynamic design with hidden door handles. For the latter, the door handles pop up when it senses the driver approaching the car and goes back to its flushed position when the driver walks away (with the key fob in hand). It is hailed as the world’s most aerodynamic model in its segment with a low drag co-efficient of 0.237.
Geometry sees its Model ‘A’ as setting a new benchmark for safety in pure electric sedans. It is based on an ‘L2 Plus’ intelligent drive with segment-leading smart configuration, complete with 3mm wave radars, six cameras and 12 ultrasonic radars. Part of its safety features include the Rear Collision Warning and Door Opening Warning (of cyclists and motorcyclists coming alongside). It is also said to be the first Chinese pure electric model with Driver Smart Pre-tensioning seatbelt and the W-HUD Digital Projection heads-up display is China’s first.
The model A’s interior is made with environmental-friendly materials that meet the most stringent EU standards and the car’s roof weight compression capacity is said to exceed Euro NAP and US IIHS standards. Geometry adds that its ‘world-leading’ battery protection features also exceed international standards.
The powertrain sees a permanent magnet synchronous drive motor and lithium-ion battery pack that delivers 120kW and 250Nm. Geometry A runs on a wheelbase of 2700mm and weighs 1650kg. In performance, it accelerates from 0-100km/h in a respectable 8.8 seconds. There is a standard range model that goes 410km on a single charge and a long range model that covers 500km. If you drive at 60km/h, that range is even longer.During the Geometry A launch in Singapore, Geely Auto Group President and CEO An Conghui said the 500km mileage was equivalent to five laps around Beijing’s 5th Ring Road or 10 laps around the Singapore Pan Island Expressway (PIE). Based on normal city driving, that mileage could suffice for two weeks and there would be no range anxiety. He added that the car was ‘super economical’ as it costs only seven cents for every kilometre and has a combined energy consumption of 13.5kW/h per 100km.
At the time of the launch, An said the order book for the Geometry A in China had already exceeded 9000. Distribution agreements were also signed in four countries – France, Norway, Argentina and Singapore – and orders from these countries were above 18,000 cars. In China, the Geometry A is sold from 150,000 RMB to 190,000 RMB, based on model variants, but these prices are after the deduction of the government’s ‘clean energy’ subsidies.
