Despite Coronavirus, Geely PH is Confident of Achieving 2020 Targets

Despite the challenges of doing business in the “new normal,” SGAP remains confident that they will be able to achieve their 2020 targets.

Notwithstanding losing almost three months’ worth of retail sales due to a work stoppage at Geely’s plant in China as well as the implementation of ECQ in the Philippines, SGAP remains confident in achieving an average of 150-unit sales per month.

From September 2019 to April 2020, Geely sold 524 units of its Coolray B-segment crossover (295 from February to March alone), enabling them to capture third place in the combined CAMPI and AVID tally. With the start of sales of its Azkarra, they are confident that this number will increase even more. Geely has joined the Association of Vehicle Importers and Distributors (AVID) last February.

“Geely in the Philippines has had a very good start since its launch in September,” says Mikihisa Takayama, SGAP President. “We exceeded our sales targets for both January and February, despite being limited to just one showroom. We almost had no inventory of Coolray by the end of February.”

Takayama admits though that March and April were supposed to have been a period of brand strengthening with two dealerships—one in Metro Manila, and another in Cagayan de Oro slated to have opened. The COVID-19 pandemic, and subsequent government mandated quarantine measures have affected these plans, though they are confident of being able to “catch up” in the next few months, and that their year-end target is still achievable.

Moving on, SGAP will start to focus on the online space beginning with the virtual launch of its Azkarra compact SUV on Saturday, May 30. Geely calls it the “first full production digital automobile launch in the Philippines,” and will be streamed via Geely Philippines’s Facebook page, YouTube channel, and website.

Geely PH to Re-Open Sole Dealership on May 18

Sojitz G Auto Philippines (SGAP), the exclusive distributor of Geely vehicles in the Philippines is re-opening its sole showroom for both sales and service starting on Monday, May 18.

Located on North EDSA, the Geely dealership will be open from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM. And despite the prevailing Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ), they will be open Mondays to Saturdays for both sales and service, and Sundays for sales.

Like other car brands, the Geely showroom adheres to the government’s health and safety protocols to avoid the spread of the coronavirus. Measures include the daily disinfection of the dealership, temperature checks for employees and customers, foot bath on all entrances, provision of face masks for customers, and even car misting for all vehicles entering the premises.

Geely's New Satellite Network Will Provide Centimeter-Accurate Location Data

Last March, we happen to come across news that Geely was going to launch its own satellite network in a bid to boost its capabilities in the autonomous driving game. Well, just two months later, they’ve confirmed that two will go into space by the second half of 2020.

Geespace, a subsidiary of Geely Technology Group, says that the two satellites have successfully met all of its performance metrics. The satellites form a part of its open platform OmniCloud satellite-based AI cloud platform and can provide centimeter accurate positioning services.

The next stop for the satellites will be final validation tests in June before being shipped to the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in North West China for launch.

The Geespace satellites can things such as urban traffic management more efficient especially with public transportation fleet management, ride-hailing, and ride-sharing management.

For the development of autonomous drive, OmniCloud will be able to monitor surroundings through the use of fully connected infrastructure and vehicles, allowing it to assist with AI decision making to support safe and highly autonomous drive.

In the industrial sector, OmniCloud can provide support with the help of sensors on manufacturing equipment, allowing operators to remotely monitor, control, and maintain equipment anytime and anywhere.

How a Global Design Team Resulted in the Geely Coolray Becoming a World-Class Car

To create a world-class car, you need a team that knows the world. With the Coolray, the result is a global collaboration between teams of designers and engineers.

With studios in Shanghai, Sweden, California, Malaysia, and the United Kingdom, Geely Design alone has nearly 1,000 designers and support staff spread over the globe. “Our design studio is like the United Nations – we have over 21 nationalities, and on a daily basis at our Shanghai studio, I hear Malay, Chinese, Swedish, French, German, and of course English conversations,” says Guy Burgoyne, Head of Geely Design China.

From such a global pool of talent emerges a car that embodies and symbolizes the energy and charisma of its target audience: globally-orientated youth and young families. “They appreciate design; they want design to be a focal point of their daily lives, and they want the car they drive to be an extension of their personality. What they don’t want, but what they’ve had to settle for so far, are bland, uninspired blobs on wheels with nondescript grey or black interiors”, says Jamie Barrett, Lead Exterior Designer for the Coolray.

The Coolray’s personality exudes fun and confidence, yet at the same time is exciting and mature; it balances performance with safety. All these facets are embodied in the exterior design. Although clearly part of the family, the Coolray has its own personality and will not be mistaken for another family member. “We aim for our cars to have different themes based on a core style,” says Jamie.

Take Geely’s iconic Cosmos Grille for example – on the Coolray the rings are wider and deeper, and create a wide mask containing the grille and lights. Meanwhile, the lower bumpers have been sculpted to pass air around the car thereby improving fuel economy. “The front is sculpted to have bold volumes that give off a strong 3D effect. The hood features a strong power bulge that narrows towards the front, focusing in on the Geely badge. The surfaces and curves feel rich and premium to give off a quality feel,” Jamie explains.

The satin chrome wing leads the eye over the car’s powerful front haunches expanding into the side profile before rising into the D-pillar. Boosting the Coolray’s sporting credentials are the carbon fiber elements on the front and rear bumpers, along with the rims, which together give the car its sporty stance and fun road presence.

The low-slung silhouette and speeding hood have been built to give the car its presence. Many of the elements of the design are inspired by the world of aviation. Where the roof shoots down at the rear it appears to be suspended over the D-pillar.

“This is inspired by aircraft wing stabilizers, to simulate cutting through the air with precision and create a floating sensation,” says Jamie. The aero-inspired spoiler and jet thruster-like twin exhausts build on this theme and help give the Coolray its playful, sporty feeling.

Inside, the aviation theme continues right down to the two side air vents, again inspired by jet engines. As Mei Song, Interior Designer of the Coolray mention, “The layout of the driving area adopts the design style of a cockpit, expressed in a lighter and more dynamic way, bringing sheer driving pleasure to the driver.”

The first thing many people will notice is the 10.25-inch floating control panel, which gives a vibrant feeling to the interior. However, countless more design nuances contribute to the car’s interior experience. Mei Song continues, “The expansive cabin space was created using seamless layered architecture. For example, the horizontal theme extends from the instrument panel all the way to the door panel, making the visual look wider.”

The visual cues and details add to the overall aesthetics. During the daytime, decorative dashboard panels display an orbiting planet-inspired pattern. As night rolls around, this switches to an echoing pattern which features a resemblance to the expanding front Cosmos Grille.

Adding to the sporting vibe is the red dashboard and accenting on the seats and door inserts. This, however, is not any old red – much thought has been put into the hue and its effect on the driver. “The red color used in the interior is optimized with the right levels of saturation and hue, just like the color of a vintage red wine. This gives an overall stylish and stimulating look and feel while avoiding the usual visual fatigue caused by bright red that can also affect driving safety,” says Mei Song.

Rounding out the fighter plane like cockpit is the ergonomic jet throttle-inspired shifter. Just like in a real fighter jet, this sends commands rapidly down a wire to the 7-speed dual clutch unit rather than by a mechanical connection.

Geely Donates 20,000 Surgical Masks to Department of Health

Geely Holding Group, through the foundation of its chairman, the Li Shufu Charity Foundation, has donated 20,000 pieces of surgical masks to the Department of Health in a bid to support the medical front liners in battling the coronavirus pandemic.

The rising number of COVID-19-related cases has placed the entire Luzon under an Enhanced Community Quarantine and the whole Philippines under State of Calamity. Hospitals are now appealing to the government and private sectors as they ran short of medical supplies and personal protective equipment which health workers and front liners desperately need to attend to COVID-19 patients.

Geely and Li Shufu Charity Foundation, through Sojitz G Auto Philippines (SGAP), join more companies that have donated and made pledges to help the government battle the coronavirus disease.

Giving close attention to the country’s fight against COVID-19, Geely Holding Group has expressed its commitment to support the Philippines in every way possible by providing medical supplies that are urgently needed for the pandemic disease prevention and control.

As countries race to end the global coronavirus pandemic, Geely Holding Group is looking forward to seeing the Philippines and the world win this battle very soon and bring every single person’s life back to normalcy.

Geely's COVID-19 Marketing is Getting Out of Hand

There are great measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 such as Work from Home (WFH), proper personal hygiene, regular sanitation, and social distancing; then there are useless gimmicks like this.

Geely was on the right track in communicating how they’re fighting disease using their advanced air filtration system and even implementing stringent health checks on anyone entering any of their plants. But the idea of drones delivering your car keys? Sorry, we’re not sold on this.

Just to be clear, the motive behind this is great—it furthers the distance between Geely’s staff and a potential COVID-19 carrier, sorry, customer. But having drones dropping off car keys directly to an owner’s door or balcony is just adding another potential problem in the already complicated car buying experience. What if the drone drops it off by mistake at the wrong door/balcony? What if the drone fizzles out and drops the key, or loses it midflight? What if the customer insists on having the key placed at the palm of his hand, and instead has his fingers lopped off? Boy, those are potential Weibo complaints waiting to happen.

Sorry Geely, but we think you’ve taken this entire COVID-19-related marketing way too far. We love you and all, but please, dial it back to something a tad more realistic?

Social Distancing, Germaphobia is the New Norm at Geely's Plants

Life in China is slowly getting back to normal after being the first country to get hit by COVID-19. As they report fewer cases, no one is taking any chances this time around. Cleanliness that borders on mysophobia (also known as germaphobia) and social distancing are now the norm. Just take a look at how Geely is handling the situation.

When the Chinese government opted to extend its lunar new year holiday to curb the spread of COVID-19, Geely followed to protect its 60,000 China-based employees. The Chinese automaker then opted to have their workers return in three phases, and by the first week of March, all workers are back at it again—designing, developing, and producing automobiles once more.

Having said that, security and medical measures have been put in place to ensure that the contagion remains outside their headquarters. The measures border on the extreme—rivaling almost that of a top-secret installation, but for Geely and its workers, this is the new normal.

All employees entering the Geely headquarters must first undergo temperature testing. If anyone has a fever, he or she is immediately sent to isolation, and the medical teams alerted. To ease congestion within the main buildings, clock in and clock out machines have been moved to the exterior of the building for the short term, allowing employees to move in and out of the building with relative speed and convenience.

Hand sanitizers have also been placed at the entrance and at all major traffic points, making it easy and convenient to continually wash hands during the day. Initially, the use of elevators was restricted. Since then, Geely has opted to limit the number of occupants, and also introduced sanitizers for those pressing the buttons.

Once inside, all employees are given new face masks every 8 hours, and are encouraged to keep their mouth and nose covered at all times. Supervisors are also required to conduct temperature checks on employees twice a day. Large meetings have been cancelled, and video or teleconferencing has replaced face to face communications.

Even lunch breaks have come under scrutiny: employees must maintain a 1-meter distance when using the microwave or other facilities.

These strict protocols have been rolled out at all of Geely’s facilites across China. With these measures, Geely has returned to full production with no cases of the coronavirus.

Aside from getting back to work, the carmaker has been dedicated to supporting the prevention of COVID-19. These measures include the development of their Intelligent Air Purification System that can remove harmful elements including bacteria and viruses from within their vehicles. The system will make its Philippine debut in the Azkarra.

Geely Auto is First to Have COVID-19-Proof Air Filtration System

How’s this for a timely feature? Chinese car brand, Geely Auto has announced that all future vehicles will be equipped with an on-board air filtration system that can keep harmful particulates such as the coronavirus from their vehicle’s internal air environment.

The G-Clean Intelligent Air Purification System (IAPS) was developed in just 20 days as a response to the outbreak of COVID-19 in China. With their engineers working non-stop to bring the concept from the drawing board to reality, it’ll be seen in production vehicles starting this month.

The IAPS system has a two-prong system to prevent nasty bugs from entering the cabin. First, it has an activated carbon chemical filter that absorbs gases such as formaldehyde as they enter the vehicle, and is also able to filter out irritating orders and harmful pollutants once they are detected by the automatic system. Second, it has a negative ion generator which sterilize and deodorize bacteria, fungi, molds, and yes, even viruses. Geely says it achieves the same level of air filtration as an N95 respiration system.

Before its mass market launch, Geely introduced the IAPS system to frontline workers battling COVID-19 across China through the donation of 150 Jiaji MPVs.

More recently, TÜV Rheinland Group, an international, independent third-party inspection, testing, and certification organization has certified its vehicles, issuing the first Vehicle Level Solid Particulates/Aerosol Filtering Protection China-mark certificate to Geely. The first two vehicles to receive the certification are the Geely Geometry A and the Jiaji MPV.

The G-Clean IAPS system will debut first in China with global markets, including the Philippines to follow shortly thereafter.

In the future, Geely will also adopt technologies to self-clean heavily-used touchpoints such as grab handles, buttons, and grab handles in its vehicles.

Geely Will Build Its Own Satellite Network for Self-Driving Tech

Geely wants to fast track self-driving cars that it plans to build its own low-orbit satellites to provide more accurate data for their vehicles.

A report from Reuters says the Geely Holding Group will invest 2.27 billion yan (~ P 16.548 billion) in a new satellite manufacturing plant. The goal is to produce 500 low-orbit satellites by 2025. These satellites would offer high-speed internet connectivity, precise navigation, and cloud computing capabilities to cars with autonomous driving technology.

The Chinese automaker which happens to own brands such as Volvo, Lotus, Lynk & Co, Proton, and its own namesake brand finished 2019 as the best-selling Chinese car brand. They are also in a race with other global automakers such as Tesla and Toyota to mass-produce the first fully autonomous car.

Source: Reuters

UPDATED: Geely PH to Introduce Hybrid Tech in Their Upcoming Compact SUV

UPDATE: It has been officially named as the Geely Azkarra (3/11).

Geely is taking a bold step by introducing its very own gasoline-electric hybrid technology into its upcoming compact SUV. The yet unnamed offering may beat the Subaru Forester e-BOXER as the country’s first electrified compact SUV.

The compact SUV will pair a 1.5-liter turbo-charged gasoline engine complemented by a 48-volt belt-starter generator (BSG) integrated in the Front-End Accessory Drive (FEAD) of the engine, a 48-volt to 12 DC/DC converter, a 48-volt lithium-ion battery module and battery management system (BMS), along with a recuperation braking system and a hybrid module control system.

Sojitz G Auto Philippines Corp. (SGAP) President & CEO Mikihisa Takayama said, “Hybrid and electric vehicle technology is becoming increasingly popular in the auto industry. This is where the future is heading to. 2020 is definitely going to be a landmark year for Geely in the Philippine automotive market as it steps up its game, with the introduction of the MHEV.”

The integration of the mild hybrid technology allows the vehicle to have various EV functions such as idle start/stop, pure electric mode during coasting, and energy recycling through the regenerative braking system.

The Coolray’s big brother will also come with what Geely promises to be exciting styling, luxurious interior, and smart vehicle technologies. It is slated for market launch by the second quarter of 2020.

Volvo Cars and Geely Automobile is Set to Merge

Volvo Cars and Geely Automobile is considering a merger in a bid to accelerate their financial and technological synergies.

In a joint-statement,Volvo Cars and Geely Automobile said that the considered combination would enable them to have the “scale, knowledge, and resources to be a leader in the ongoing transformation of the automotive industry.” Despite this, the combination would preserve the distinct identity of each of the brands: Volvo, Geely, Lynk & Co, and Polestar.

The merger would also allow the new company to have access to the global capital market through Hong Kong, with the intention to list in Stockholm, Sweden as well.

“A combination of the two companies would result in a strong global group. We look forward to working with Håkan Samuelsson, president and CEO of Volvo Cars, to further investigate this opportunity with the goal to strengthen the synergies within the Group while maintaining the competitive advantage and the integrity of each individual brand,” said Li Shufu, Chairman of Geely Holding Group.

As the two automakers seek the necessary approval of their respective boards, shareholders, and also compliance with regulatory approvals, both Volvo Cars and Geely will create a joint working group to prepare a proposal to their respective boards.

The move is in tune with Chairman Li’s strategy of consolidating and pooling resources in order to spearhead initiatives such as electrification and autonomous driving. Previously, Volvo announced that it formed a joint-venture with Geely for the development of international combustion engines. Li is also the largest shareholder of Daimler AG, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz.

The move is said to create China’s first true global automaker.

Geely Expands to Cagayan de Oro

Geely hits the ground in Mindanao with the launching of Geely Cagayan de Oro. Grand Cars, Incorporated was selected as the partner dealer in the area by Sojitz G Auto Philippines (SGAP), the exclusive distributor of Geely in the Philippines. Celebrating its opening, the several Coolray sub-compact SUVs were released to its new owners.

“The formal launch of the Coolray is the preview of bigger things to come. And the step in the right direction in presenting our strong commitment in serving customers as well as strengthening our bonds with Sojitz.”, Grand Cars Inc. President Jan Andrew Po said.

SGAP President Mikihisa Takayama warmly welcomed Grand Cars to the Geely family and underscored the importance of their partnership. “Our alliance is a vital component as Geely drives its way to make it big in the Philippine automotive market. In this regard, I would like to thank you for trusting Sojitz G Auto Philippines Corporation to be your partner in this endeavor.”, Takayama said.

“Geely is poised to be one of the major automotive players in the Philippines following the future introduction of its global models which benefits from synergies from auto brands it acquired such as Volvo. We are confident that these future Geely global vehicles are far better in terms of specification, equipment, technology, value for money, and not short changing the buyer.”, Takayama added.

This 2020, Geely starts to expand its nationwide dealership network. 15 outlets are already slated to be built this year, to include Geely Cagayan de Oro. With the rise of Geely in Cagayan de Oro, SGAP expressed its confidence that with Grand Cars’ decades-long proven credibility as one of the top-performing dealership networks in the country, their partnership can build a strong brand reputation and a business that is here to stay.

Geely Philippines to Open 15 Dealerships in 2020

Sojitz G Auto Philippines will embark on an aggressive expansion this year to bring their Geely brand to more locations nationwide.

The exclusive distributor of Geely automobiles in the country has mapped out 30 locations in key cities and municipalities around the Philippines where they’ll be setting up shop. Out of this number, 15 will rise in 2020.

The locations where Geely will open a franchise dealer are:

Metro Manila

• Greenhills (2020)
• Quezon Avenue (2020)
• Manila (2020)
• Marikina (2020)
• Shaw (2020)
• Makati (2021)
• Alabang (2021)
• Libis (2021)
• Pasay (2021)

Outside Metro Manila:

• San Fernando (2020)
• Angeles (2021)
• Bacoor (2020)
• Davao (2020)
• Cagayan De Oro (2020)
• Iloilo (2020)
• Mandaue (2021)
• Cebu City (2020)
• Batangas (2020)
• General Santos (2020)
• Tagum (2020)
• Bulacan (2021)
• Bacolod (2021)
• Bataan (2021)
• Pangasinan (2021)
• Cabanatuan (2021)
• Tacloban (2021)
• Legaspi (2021)
• Zamboanga (2021)
• Imus (2020)

Apart from its dealership expansion this year, Geely will also be adding more models to its line-up including a sedan, an MPV, and another SUV. Plans are also in place to introduce their first mild-hybrid offering.

Geely Ends 2019 as Best-Selling Chinese Car Brand in the World

Geely Automobile Holdings Limited continues to maintain its position as the best-selling Chinese auto brand globally since 2017. With cumulative sales that reached around 1,361,560 units in 2019, Geely Auto has retained its Sales Champion title for the third consecutive year.

Amid the decline in China’s car sales Geely Auto managed to grow its market and remained as the best-selling Chinese brand.

In 2020, Geely Auto has set its annual vehicle sales target to 1.41 million units, a 3.6 percent increase from 2019. This, as part of Geely Auto’s efforts to continue the implementation of its high-quality development strategy with stability as a focus.

In 2019, the sales of Geely’s new energy vehicles (NEVs) increased significantly with annual sales of 113,067 units, a year-on-year increase of 68.6 percent, becoming a new driving force for Geely Auto’s high-quality growth. A total of 57,991 vehicles were exported in 2019, a year-on-year increase of 110.6 percent.

Under the dual pressure of a global economic setbacks and adjustment in the automotive industry, China’s domestic auto market experienced a significant drop in 2019. Despite this, Geely Auto maintained its strategic advancement, actively strengthened its global competitiveness, improved its product lineup, leading the industry in high-quality development, exceeding its annual sales target of 1.36 million units. Geely Auto also accelerated its expansion in overseas market and improved its global brand image and reputation.

2019 has been a product-centric year with the launch of the “high-end pure electric brand” Geometry.  Among the new models that were launched are Geometry A, Jiaji MPV, Xingyue Coupe SUV, Lynk & Co 03+, and Boyue PRO, covering several market segments such as sedans, SUVs, and MPVs. Nearly 9 models saw sales over 10,000 units per month. The product matrix of these brands has continued to be upgraded in the direction of high quality, high tech, high value.

The total sales in the SUV segment in 2019 reached 709,841 units, accounting for 52.1 percent of Geely Auto’s total sales for the year. Meanwhile, Geely Auto premium brand Lynk & Co saw monthly sales of over 10,000 units for five consecutive months. The brand’s cumulative annual sales reached 128,606 units, an increase of 6.4 percent from the same period in 2018.

In 2020, Geely will launch 6 new products including the second BMA architecture based SUV from the Geely Auto: the “Icon,” the first mid-size SUV from Geely Auto, codenamed “VX11,” a new Coupe SUV based on the CMA architecture, the “Lynk & Co 05,” and the second pure electric model from Geometry, codenamed “GE13.”

Also this year, Lynk & Co will officially enter the European market and compete against world-class brands in Europe, a key milestone in Lynk & Co global development.

The future is looking brighter for Geely Auto this 2020 onwards amid its continued efforts to make breakthroughs in new energy, intelligent drive, and smart connectivity technologies in 2019. Mass production of Level 2 Autonomous Drive capable vehicles has spurred public adoption of the advanced technologies. A multi-faceted development approach to new energy is bringing users a green, intelligent, humane future mobility experience.

This year, Geely is seeing technology and brand leadership as key factors in Geely’s future success. 2020 will become a key year for Geely to advance its brand and technology.

Geely to Engineer Cars for Mercedes-Benz's Smart Brand

Mercedes-Benz and Geely announced that they have formally established the global joint venture, Smart Automobile Co., Ltd. after receiving regulatory approvals.

The joint venture has a total registered capital of 5.4 billion RMB (~P 39.6 billion). With this, Mercedes-Benz and Geely hope to transform Smart into a leading player in the electrified vehicles segment. The global headquarters of the new joint venture is set in Hangzhou Bay, Ningbo with operational sales functions based in China and Germany.

The new generation of Smart vehicles will be designed by the worldwide Mercedes-Benz Design network, and developed by the Geely global engineering network. Future production will be located in China.

As part of the vehicle-development program, the Smart product portfolio will be extended into the fast-growing B-segment that are in line with Smart’s brand positioning with a focus on pure premium electric and connected vehicles.

Geely Philippines Now Offers Mobile Service, 24/7 Roadside Assistance

Sojitz G Auto Philippines Corporation (SGAP), the official distributor of the Geely vehicles in the Philippines launches its own mobile service program while it is in the process of finalizing its nationwide dealership network.

“Geely, being a new brand in the market, is committed to provide vehicles that are of best quality, truly value driven, safe, and comfortable. The brand promises to provide a new level of excitement with its youthful and sporty design and bring the fun back in driving using the latest automotive technology,” Sojitz G Auto Philippines Corp. President & CEO Mikihisa Takayama said.

Geely North Edsa, being the sole Geely showroom for now, assures its customers that after-sales services could be rendered in various areas through its Geely offsite servicing programs.

These programs include:

Mobile Service Van - Customers living far from Geely North Edsa can avail of the offsite Preventive Maintenance Service (PMS) in several designated Shell and Unioil gas stations in Metro Manila and its nearby provinces namely, Cavite, Laguna, and Pampanga.  Schedule of availability of Mobile Service Van will be communicated to the customers so that they will know the details of the exact date and location their vehicles can be serviced.

Mobile Service Bike - Through its mobile service bike, Geely provides emergency assistance for its customers for unexpected electrical or mechanical failure.

24/7 Roadside Assistance - Emergency Towing Assistance, Crane Services, and Minor Onsite Repairs are the round the clock assistance offered under this service network. A Roadside Assistance card is issued to every Geely owner. All services are free during the first year of the issuance of the card.

As a new comer in the automotive market in the Philippines, one of Geely’s priorities is to gear towards excellence in its after-sales services and to assure security to its customers that they will be well taken care of.

“With our quality customer service care and superior vehicle specifications, our passion Is to provide you satisfaction that will exceed your expectations, making Geely the drive you deserve. It is our obligation to give you and your vehicle the utmost care and assistance from day one and onward,” Takayama added.

Volvo and Geely to Merge Engine Operations

Volvo Cars and Geely intend to merge their existing combustion engine operations into a stand-alone business in order to establish a new global supplier that will seek to develop next-generation combustion engines and hybrid powertrains.

The proposed new business would clear the way for Volvo to focus on the development of its all-electric range of premium cars. Volvo Cars is building an entirely electrified product range, as part of the company’s ambition to put sustainability at the core of its operations. By the middle of the next decade it expects half its global sales to be fully electric and the other half hybrid, supplied by the new unit.

For Geely, the planned new entity means technologically advanced and efficient combustion engines and hybrid powertrains would be available to Geely Auto, Proton, Lotus, LEVC and Lynk & Co. The planned new stand-alone business can also supply third-party manufacturers, providing possible growth opportunities.

The proposed new business is intended to be an attractive employer for approximately 3,000 employees from Volvo Cars and around 5,000 employees from Geely’s combustion engine operations, including research and development, procurement, manufacturing, IT, and finance functions. No reductions in the workforce are anticipated.

Both Volvo Cars and Geely are in the process of carving out their ICE (internal combustion engine) operations into new units within their respective organizations, as a first step towards a merger of the two into a combined new stand-alone business.

Volvo Cars believes the electrification of the automotive industry will be a gradual process, meaning there will be significant ongoing demand for efficient hybrid powertrains alongside fully electric offerings.

Geely Philippines Garners Over 50 Coolray Reservations, Opens First Showroom

The day after its official brand launch in the country, Sojitz G Auto Philippines, the distributor of Geely vehicles opened its first showroom located in the heart of Quezon City.

Located at 75 Corregidor Street EDSA, Quezon City, the 1,160 square-meter showroom can display up to 20 vehicles inside, while a 2,600-square meter space is dedicated for aftersales service. This is notable because it’s considered one of the largest service centers for Geely globally.

Apart from the Coolray sub-compact SUV, the North EDSA showroom also showcases the latest technology from Geely including the Coolray Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) and the Geely Atlas compact SUV.

Before its showroom opening, Geely started pre-selling the Coolray through a mall road show. The pre-selling campaign which had stops at U.P. Town and Trinoma in Quezon City and Uptown Mall in BGC garnered more than 50 Coolray reservations. Some of these units were officially turned over to their owners as part of the showroom inauguration ceremonies.

Geely Continues Its Rise in Fortune Global 500 List

Geely, the largest privately-owned automotive technology in China climbs up the illustrious Fortune Global 500 list, landing in 220th place this year. The result is a jump of 47 places from its 267th spot in 2018.

Geely attributes its success to the integrated development and comprehensive “rejuvenation” of its brands. It has continuously enhanced and expanded in different areas such as its global R&D network, manufacturing, and supply chain.

The company’s revenues reached USD 49.665 billion last year while sales reached 2.5 million units across its various subsidiaries. Geely Auto and Lynk & Co, in particular, reached a milestone by selling more than 1.5 million vehicles—an increase of 20.3 percent from the previous year. On the other hand, Volvo breached the 600,000 mark—the first time the Swedish carmaker has done so since its founding in 1927.

This year, Geely sales remain strong, selling more than 650,000 vehicles for the first half of the year.

Moving on, Geely is continuing to intensify its efforts to develop technologies for the future of mobility. This includes Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications and enhancement of intelligent connected vehicles. The group will also launch its all-electric brand, Geometry, by 2025 with a dozen EV models.

Recently, Sojitz Corporation Japan, under a newly established subsidiary, Sojitz G Auto Philippines Corporation, has acquired the rights to distribute the Geely brand in the Philippines. Its first model is the Coolray sub-compact SUV which is expected to retail below P 1.2 million.