Geely

Lotus will unveil the Type 132 E-segment SUV in 2022. It will be joined in 2023 by the Type 133, an E-segment four-door coupe, and in 2025 by the Type 134 - a new D-segment SUV. This three will be joined in 2026 by the Type 135, an all-new electric sports car.

Geely itself, despite its acquisition of lotus and even owning Volvo, isn’t exactly known for making attractive cars. In fact, one could even say that Geely cars are about as dull as unsalted crackers and a glass of lemon juice. Take the Geely GE11, for example – that’s about as exciting as a Ford focus – or the Geely Mk-Cross that looks like a 90’s crossover with upgraded headlights. It did show off a concept of a new crossover coupe that looked decent until we realized it was a rip-off of the BMW X4, so I guess there’s that. The point is that Geely, isn’t exactly an interesting car maker, but that could soon change if the new Starburst Concept is any indication of what the future holds.

On April 11, China’s highest-profile carmaker, Geely, announced the birth of a new premium electric car brand, named Geometry as well as the first model sold under the new brand, the Geometry A electric sedan.

The Geometry A, with a single electric motor that generates 161 horsepower, will be available with two battery options. The standard 51.9-kWh battery allows a maximum range of 255 miles and the long-range, 61.9-kWh battery that extends the range to 311 miles. Both models provide a powertrain rated at 120kW of power and 184 pound-feet of torque which enables an 8.8-second sprint to 62 miles per hour. It looks like a 30 minute top up is enough to take the charge level from 30 to 80 percent full. With tie-ins to Volvo within the Geely group, the Geometry is claimed to deliver class-leading safety and driver aids. The standard-range version starts at about $31,000 where the long-range version’s starting price is $34,000.

Chinese car making giant Geely has been on the upswing in recent years, especially since it acquired renowned Swedish carmaker Volvo. Now the automaker’s offerings are becoming increasingly credible not just for the local Chinese market, but for a global market as well. Now, it’s now set to test international waters with an all-new compact electric vehicle called GE11. Revealed during a special event held in Shanghai a few days before the 2019 Geneva motor show started, the vehicle has been deemed quite convincing by the motoring journalism scene thanks to its mix of style and tech. In its current form (a pre-production prototype), it is actually one of the most aerodynamic cars in the world, but on top of that, it also looks good enough to come to Europe (both inside and out,) and it has decent credentials to back everything up.

Unlike most of Geely’s offerings, the GE11 was designed from the start with an international market in mind, and this is clearly reflected in its chic European-inspired looks and capability. Not all beans on the GE11 have been spilled, though, and we’re still waiting on official range, battery pack, and price information because these are crucial for us to gauge is future success or failure.

China has been known for putting out some outrageous knock-offs over the years. BMW seems to be a favorite of Chinese carmakers that can’t quite get around designing a car on their own. Geely seems to continue the trend in a more subtle manner with their latest crossover, the FY11.

No, this is not the facelifted BMW X4 or its big brother, the X6. This is, in fact, what Geely calls its most driver-focused car yet. It’s a coupe-bodied crossover, so the statement in itself is dubious, but it’s not as dubious as the variety of styling cues that basically tell us one thing: Geely’s designers watched too many BMW promotional videos before getting to the task of penning the FY11. It’s underpinned by the same platform as the XC40 from Volvo, and it will be followed by an all-electric sedan and an MPV as Geely looks to extend its range further.

The auto industry is moving towards an EV-olution, and all automakers have taken part in the rat race to gain a lead. While smaller automakers are outsourcing the batteries, bigger players are getting into production themselves. Geely’s subsidiary, Zhejiang Jirun Automobile, will collaborate along with Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd. (CATL) in a joint venture to set up a battery-manufacturing plant.

In an effort to create an all-new transportation system, Chinese automaker Zhejiang Geely Holding Group partnered with China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp (CASIC). This way, the companies will double their efforts to develop supersonic trains.

If Elon Musk and Hyperloop come to your mind now, you are right. Geely and state-owned CASIC are looking to develop and build supersonic trains that can travel up to speeds of 620 mph. It is a system that, at least in writing, reminds us a lot of the Elon Musk proposed Hyperloop.

Geely’s plans for Lotus includes bringing the once-proud British sports car brand back to relevancy. But a new report from Automotive News Europe reveals that the Chinese auto giant now has bigger plans for its new acquisition, specifically increasing its stake in Lotus with a fresh $1.9 billion investment. If Geely’s plans come to fruition, it could up its stake in Lotus from 51 percent to a more significant ownership percentage. Doing so would cut into the shares of Malaysia’s Erika Automotive, which currently owns 49 percent of Lotus.

Geely’s purchase of $9 billion in Daimler shares made it the biggest shareholder in the German automaker. But before Geely chairman and founder Li Shufu rose to become the largest single shareholder at Mercedes-Benz, he apparently had his eyes on the German automaker’s biggest rival, BMW. A report from German news outlet Spiegel revealed that Geely was actually in talks with Bimmer executives. According to the report, Geely promised BMW better access to the Chinese market in exchange for co-operative sharing of electric car technology between the two brands.

It seems that the only company that can stop Geely from conquering the auto industry is Geely itself. The Chinese car giant recently scored another blockbuster acquisition when it finalized a deal to buy 9.69 percent of Daimler, making it the largest outside shareholder of the German auto conglomerate, edging out the Kuwait Investment Authority and the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, which had 6.8 and 3.1 percent, respectively. Now, it looks like Geely’s ready to slow its roll on making more acquisitions, at least for the time being.

Geely has reportedly purchased a near 10-percent stake in Daimler, a move that set the Chinese company back some €7.5 billion or $9.22 billion at exchange rates as of February 23, 2018. The move was officially confirmed by Daimler as was undertaken by the purchase of stock over the past few weeks. The move comes down after Daimler turned down Geely’s offer to Purchase a 5-percent stake for $4.5 billion.

Remember Bob Lutz? He’s been almost everywhere in the auto industry, spending time at BMW, Ford, and most notably, General Motors, where he spent from 2001 to 2010 in high-end management. Unfortunately for Lutz (or maybe because of), those were some tumultuous times at the General. Now post “retirement,” he’s been creating his own ventures with VLF Automotive and VIA Motors. With the latter, Lutz is acting as the chairman and helps guide the company in its mission of turning stock light- and heavy-duty vehicles into range-extended and all-electric vehicles.

As it turns out, Lutz and VIA made an impression on Geely, the Chinese automaker responsible for Volvo’s illustrious rebound into the luxury market.

Geely and VIA have agreed to co-develop a medium-duty extended range truck by using VIA’s “industry-leading proprietary vehicle software and systems control technology” while Geely offers up its Drive-e hybrid powertrain technology already in use within Volvo. The companies ambitiously suggest the range-extended truck would be available by 2019 in the U.S., Latin America, and China.

Nathan Yu Ning, Geely’s vice president of international business and executive advisor to the board, said in a company statement, “I believe that range-extended hybrid drive systems are a leading technology for the next 5-10 years and the co-developed truck will utilize proven technology such as a Volvo engine for the range extender.”

The immediate goal is for VIA to provide Geely with technological and engineering support in order to push the automaker into becoming a leader in range-extended vehicles by putting Geely trucks on North and South American roads.

So, if all goes according to plan, Americans might have an electric medium-duty commercial vehicle with a Geely, VIA, or even Volvo badge roaming around.