Geely : Li Shufu's bet

Maple Hisoon 201 (Photo: Geely Global)

$1 stores seem to be multiplying as quickly as lightning in the last 10 years. And why not? We can find a bunch of low-priced articles, less expensive than in department stores. In this type of business, we often buy stuff that will end up in the garbage in a short period of time.

At the last Detroit Auto Show, a little stand grabbed people's attention, during a press conference. A Chinese car manufacturer, the first to be present at a North-American show to date, presented the rise to fame of its founder as well as their future plans in the USA and Canada.

Geely, which we pronounce "G-lee" and not "guee-lee", was founded by Li Shufu, born in 1963. During the press conference, the company tried to win the medias' hearts over with the story of this smiling and sympathetic guy. Raised by dirt-poor parents, he always has a passion for cars when he was a kid, and the he created his first ones out of mud...

Geely HQ hatchback (Photo: Geely Global)

Today, at the head of a company that builds 140,000 cars a year, including 10,000 that are exported in 30 countries, Li Shufu now has more ambitious plans. He will try to convince the American public that Geely cars are reliable and economical, and will be absolutely affordable. A Geely will be perfect for young families who don't want to put themselves in debt during several years in order to buy an affordable and safe vehicle.

The press conference included a Q&A session, during which the president of Geely USA admitted that the car parked to his left didn't comply with emissions and crash test regulations in the United States, but should within the next 18 months. Also, he mentioned that the 1.5L engine, that develops a breathtaking 94 horsepower, provides a fuel economy of 9.4L/100 km in the city and 6.7L/100 km on the highway. In comparison, a Honda Civic equipped with a 1.7L engine that develops 140 horses, provides ratings of 7.8 and 5.7L/100 km in the city and on the highway, respectively. Obviously, Geely has its work cut out for it.

The car on display was the new CK, a little four-door sedan. Jointly developed with Daewoo, it's the most modern car of the brand.

From a distance, the CK looks classy. However, get closer and you'll notice dried paint drops on the corners of the hood. Open the door, and an odour of plastic fills your nostrils. The cockpit is, of course, cheap. Exposed screw heads are apparent everywhere on the dashboard. The cloth on the seats seems pretty thin.

Geely CK (Photo: Geely Global)

CK
Body type: sedan

Choice of colours: 5

Engines: DOHC 16-valve 1.3L inline-4 (86 hp), DOHC 16-valve 1.5L inline-4 (94 hp), DOHC 16-valve 1.6L inline-4 (108 hp)

Mentionable standard features: power windows, locks and mirrors, CD player, air conditioning, anti-lock brakes with brake force distribution, power steering

Mentionable options: leather, DVD player, dual airbags