Some of you might remember this Chinese brand. Geely was already in our market a few years ago. I was able to try out the Geely Panda, a small hatchback with a cute design and...that’s about it. The brand then faded into obscurity like the rest of the first-wave Chinese carmakers.
Now Geely is back, and it looks like it’s here to stay. At a grand launch in Taguig last night, attended by no less than Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez, Geely was formally reintroduced to the Philippine market. Geely president An Cong Hui was also present to give a speech.
For those still unfamiliar with the company, Geely now owns a diverse portfolio of automotive brands like Volvo, Lynk & Co, Lotus, and The London Electric Vehicle Company. Of course, it still sells cars bearing its own badge.
The first model it introduced was the Coolray, a stunning subcompact crossover that seems infused with Volvo DNA. You may have already seen it displayed in some malls around Metro Manila.
The Coolray enters one of the fastest-growing segments in the auto industry. It competes with the Honda HR-V, the Hyundai Kona, and the upcoming Kia Seltos. Under the hood is a 1.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine producing 175hp and 255Nm. That’s way more power and torque than what its competitors are packing; the Kona, for example, has 147hp and 179Nm. A seven-speed dual-clutch transmission helps the Coolray reach 100kph in 7.9sec.
There are three Coolray variants at launch: Sport, Premium, and Comfort. The top-spec Sport has advanced safety and driving features like an automatic parking system, 360-degree camera view, cruise control, hill-descent control, and stability/traction controls.
Like what you see? Here are the Coolray’s official prices:
Geely Coolray variants and prices:
- Geely Coolray Comfort – P978,000
- Geely Coolray Premium – P1,088,000
- Geely Coolray Sport – P1,198,000
Naturally, we already asked for a proper test drive. Watch this space.
