Don’t underestimate Geely, the Coolray is one serious contender

Automotive manufacturers sometimes choose to introduce a halo car, a car that signifies the pinnacle of its current technology. In the case of Geely, China’s most globally high-profile and successful carmaker, that model would be the 2020 Coolray compact crossover.

This compact crossover, which is currently Geely’s sole product offering in the Philippines, is a product of the company’s investments in Volvo and Daimler. “It showcases Geely’s technical capabilities as an automaker moving ever closer to the center of the world automotive stage,” described Froilan Dytianquin, GM of Soljitz G Auto Philippines Corp., Geely’s partner in the country.

Sojitz G Auto Philippines Corp., wholly owned by one of Japan’s largest trading houses, is tasked to import and distribute Geely brand of vehicles (compact cars, MPVs, and SUVs) while also providing after-sales service here in the Philippines. For those unfamiliar, Sojitz used to jointly manage Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. with Mitsubishi Motors (Japan) up until 2018 when it completed the sale of its 49 percent stake in the company.

Global model

As a globally strategic model, the Coolray has undergone rigorous global tests during its development, completing more than 12 million kilometers of testing in Asia, Africa, Europe and North America.

Set to compete with Ford’s EcoSport, Honda’s HR-V, Hyundai’s Kona, Subaru XV and even BMW’s X1, the Coolray is powered by a 1.5-liter, three cylinder turbocharged gasoline engine that is jointly developed by Geely Auto and Volvo (Geely acquired Volvo from Ford in 2010). This engine that offers maximum 175hp and 255Nm of torque is paired to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, which not surprisingly, has completed over 6 million kilometers of testing, covering all complex conditions on four continents.

Aside from the fact that this drivetrain allows the Coolray to accelerate from zero to 100 km/h in just 7.9 seconds, it also boasts a combined city/highway fuel consumption rating of 16 km/liter.

The Coolray is the first Geely model to sit on the new B-Segment Modular Architecture (BMA) platform which was developed with passenger and pedestrian safety as its highest priority.

Measuring 4.33 meters long, 1.8m wide, 1.609m tall, and with a wheelbase that spans 2.6m., the Coolray BMA platform was designed to exceed the criteria required to achieve a five-star Euro New Car Assessment Program safety rating.

Apart from the standard anti-lock braking system with electronic brake distribution, the Coolray is equipped with brake assist, electronic stability and traction control, hill start assist, hill descent control, and cruise control.

The base model, which is the Coolray Comfort is priced at P978,000 while the Coolray Premium, at P1.088 million. The top spec, Coolray Sport is priced at P 1,198 million. And with only one model offering at the moment, Geely in the Philippines is confident it will be able to entice more buyers

For its class and price point though, the Coolray This is packed with impressive technology including the G-Pilot system (available in the Sport trim), which is a host of driver aids that include auto parking assist system to let the driver do parallel and perpendicular parking with a touch of a button, and four exterior cameras to give the driver a 360-degree view of the vehicle.

Young urbanites

Bannering a “Racing through Time” aesthetics, the Coolray was designed to appeal to young urbanites with its prominent “expanding cosmos” grille that is flanked by angular headlights, quad exhaust outlets, wing-shaped waistline seen from the side outlines, rear diffuser inserts, dual-tone paint scheme, red painted brake calipers and sporty rear spoiler.

Inside, the Coolray’s interior design has been inspired by the enveloping cockpit of a jet plane with 7-inch LCD instrument panel, ergonomic jet throttle inspired shifter, and a 10.25-inch floating infotainment panel.

This infotainment panel is equipped with GKUI smart ecosystem, Geely’s innovative digital cockpit system, integrating infotainment, connectivity, and vehicle management into one smart in-car system. This smart in-car system allows the driver to interact with the car via voice.