Ascendant Chinese carmaker Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, better known as Geely, has announced a new range of vehicles under the new "Geometry" brand and the new lineup includes an all-electric model, the Geometry A, that's close to production.
Geely announced that the "A" model will be joined by ten more electric vehicles by 2025, and there's little reason to doubt it will happen. Geely says they already have 27,000 preorders for the new EV, a sleek sedan that bears a passing resemblance to the Tesla Model 3.
While Geely isn't a household name in the U.S., it could be soon. The brand has been busily buying up and investing in numerous nameplates and owns both Lotus and Volvo, along with former Volvo performance arm Polestar, which is now a higher-end EV incubator.
The company also has a 50% percent stake in tinycar/EV maker Smart, with the Daimler group holding the other half. In 2018, Geely leadership said their intent was to convert to producing only "New Energy" vehicles in the near future. In China, EVs and hybrids are often referred to as "New Energy" cars instead of EVs or "electric cars."
The Geometry A, despite the somewhat wonky name that clearly echos Tesla's naming convention, first broke cover as the GE11 and is a sleek four-door saloon focused more on getting people around comfortably than setting low 0 to 60 times (which should be around mid-8 seconds). Geely says the car will be available in six total variants across two range trims, all powered by a single motor setup making just over 160 horsepower.
Battery options include 52kWh and 62 kWh packs, providing claimed ranges of 254 and 310 miles on the NEDC cycle, which should cleave closely to the EPA's range estimator and the eventual EU-wide WLTP range gauge.
Photos of the GE11/Geometry A indicate the car will have a prominent center screen like the Tesla Model 3, but also a small second screen in the area where a traditional speedo usually sits. A head-up display is also on the menu. Other features include a wide range of tech helpers including pedestrian detection with automatic braking, collision warning systems and more. High-res cameras and radars that tie into a moving object detection system are said to give Level 2 autonomous features including lane keeping and lane change assist.
At Chinese market prices of $31,250 and $37,200 respectively for the two range options, the car is clearly targeting the popular Tesla Model 3, which is a hot seller in China. Indeed, Tesla announced its most basic (and least expensive) version of the Model 3 will go on sale in China the same day Geely announced the Geometry line. Telsa is also building a factory in China to produce the Model 3 domestically and avoid tariffs. Currently, all Tesla models are imported.
The announcement from Geely should give automakers pause worldwide. Despite the fact that auto markets are currently in decline in China, Geely is clearly taking a long view of the "New Energy" EV market. Their success in turning around Volvo's fortunes indicates they are looking well outside their borders, and U.S carmakers would do well to recall the sudden rise of carmakers from another Asian country, Japan, who were initially dismissed as making substandard and unappealing cars.
How and if the Geely EVs will ever come to the U.S. is unknown, considering the current administration's protective stance and penchant for tariffs, but Geely clearly has global ambitions and says that the majority of the Geometry A preorders have come from outside China, including from EU countries. Outside of Tesla, GM seems to be the only legacy American carmaker with a viable EV at this time, the Chevy Bolt, with other players expected to join the EV party in the near future.
Geely's sub-$40,000 Geometry A should provide even more impetus to get American EV efforts into high gear as more and more drivers worldwide begin to better understand the benefits (and general fun) of driving cars that don't require gasoline.
