Geely Automobile
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Geely Automobile (吉利汽车, pronounced "JEE-lee") () was the first independent automobile manufacturer in the People's Republic of China. The parent company is Geely Holding Group (吉利控股集团).
Early Years
Geely started in 1986 as a manufacturer of refrigerators, then moved to manufacturing decoration materials in 1989, and by 1992, motorcycle parts. In 1994, Geely began manufacturing motorcycles. By 1996, Geely had produced over 200,000 motorcycles and scooters. Automobile production started in 1998. Geely began exporting it first cars in 2003. Geely had its IPO in 2004. Geely's chairman and founder, Li Shufu, wants to sell two-thirds of the company's output overseas, though he is noncommitted as to when that could happen. In a March 2005 forum held in Beijing, he was quoted as saying:
- We must make cars like people from Wenzhou make [a quarter of the world's] lighters. But developing a car industry is like growing one tree slowly to cover a whole forest.
Export sales
Geely made its first foreign incursion into a developed market by being the first Chinese automakers present at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2005. The company presented the entirety of their passenger model lineup with the Haoqing and Meirie hatchbacks, Uliou and Free Cruiser sedans and Beauty Leopard coupé. Geely also became the first Chinese car maker to display at the US Detroit auto show. Geely is expected to begin mass sales in Europe in 2007, and are currently re-engineering their cars to meet Euro IV emission and Euro NCAP crash-test regulations. So far, the only European distributor interested in marketing the brand is SHA, former representative of SEAT in Portugal, who is planning to distribute Geely in the Iberian Peninsula. Geely will be selling cars for the North American market in 2008, the year the of the Beijing Olympics.
Companies
Geely operates two automobile companies in China:
- Zhejiang Geely Automobile
- Shanghai Maple Guorun Automobile
Sales
- 1998-~200
- 1999-~2000
- 2000-~8000
- 2001-~20,000
- 2002-~50,000
- 2003-~80,000
- 2004-~106,000
- 2005-~150,000
- 2006-~200,000 (expected)
Models
Most of Geely's range is based on the Xiali TJ7300, which in turn was based on the 1987 Daihatsu Charade. Models such as the Haoqing (豪情) (five-door), Merrie (美日) (five-door), Uliou (优利欧) (four-door) and Urban Nanny (van and pick-up truck) have Charade bases, but feature a more prominent chromed grille.
Zhejiang Geely Automobile
- Xiali TJ7300-based
- * 1998– HQ/Haoqing (豪情) — 1.1 L hatchback
- * 2000– MR/Merrie (美日) — hatchback
- * 2002— MR/Uliou/MS (优利欧)
- * 2004– PU/Rural Nanny/Urban Nanny
- 2002– BL/Beauty Leopard/BO — coupe
- Daewoo-designed
- * 2005– CK/Freedom Ship — 1.5 L sedan
- * 2005– CD/China Dragon — 1.5 L coupe
- FC — 1.8 L sedan
- 2003–2005 Maple Huapu — 5-door hatchback
- 2003– Maple Hisoon — 5-door hatchback
- 2004– Maple Marindo — 1.8 L sedan
- 2005– Maple Hysoul — 5-door hatchback
- 2006– Maple Haixuan — Special car for women[Maple Haixuan: What Chinese Women Want?], Edmunds.com, March 10, 2006
References
Notes
External links
- [Official website] in Chinese
- [Geely global site]
- [Geely USA]
- [Geely Forums]
- [Geely Holding Group], a good chronological history of Geely
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