 |
Developed in China, the Blow-Out Monitoring and Braking System (BMBS) was put to the test at 100 kph on a production model, the Geely Vision. During these tests, despite the sudden loss of air pressure caused by a tire explosion, the system was able to progressively slow the car down while allowing the driver to maintain control.
 |
| Geely TX4 |
The company also chose the NAIAS to showcase a half-dozen of its products: the MK compact hatchback (nicknamed King Kong in China), the CK compact sedan, the FC utility vehicle (Freedom Cruiser), the China Dragon sports coupe and a couple of taxi cabs made by London Taxi International, a British firm that's now part of Chinese consortium Manganeze Bronze Holdings.
Geely also presented the Shanghai Maple compact sedan, manufactured by Geely's subsidiary Zhang Xiaodong.
As a privately-owned company (which is pretty rare in the Chinese auto industry), Geely started manufacturing refrigerators in 1986 and motorcycles in 1994. Car production began in 1998.
Li Shufu, president and founder of Geely, started exporting vehicles to Europe in 2003. According to the China Daily, about 40,000 units were sold in 2007. The goal for 2008 is set at 50,000 units.
In January 2006, Mr. Shufu became the first to introduce Chinese-made vehicles at the NAIAS. He hopes to sell cars in America by 2009.
photo:Alexandre Beaulne
Article Gallery