Geely pulls out of service after failing to meet accident standard

Geely has a range of sedans and SUVs that have potential in the Australian market.

Washington DC-based China Automotive Distributors, part of the John Hughes Group and national distributor of Geely and ZX Auto, says it required a minimum four-star crash rating for the Geely EC7 sedan before considering selling the Cruze-sized Geely ECXNUMX sedan.

Geely's recent ANCAP testing failed to meet the importer's requirements, preventing the vehicle from being introduced in Australia. Group director Rod Gailey says CAD wanted the Cruze-size sedan to get at least four stars in ANCAP crash tests before considering it for sale in Australia.

“The EC7, which previously received four stars in the euro, received a sub-four star rating despite additional safety equipment such as electronic stability control and six airbags,” he says.

He says the decision to suspend import plans was made by both CAD and Geely. “We and Geely agreed on a minimum four-star crash rating before Geely did the tests,” he says.

“We insisted, and Geely agreed, that we would not import the car until it scored four stars or higher in crash tests, and unfortunately it did not live up to our expectations.

"So Geely and we put it all on hold." Mr Gailey says the car's body structure may be to blame. He says Geely is pointing out that it's not economically feasible to upgrade the car to meet higher safety standards for Australia's small-scale market.

He says it could take 18 to 24 months for Geely before a new line of models, now in post-design that will meet Australia's safety and feature requirements, will be available in Australia. “But Geely told us the new cars weren't going to be cheap,” he says.

"It will be a new generation of models that will be more competitive in terms of design, engineering and performance, so I don't see them being available at a lower price." Mr Gailey says the EC7 was a "quantum leap" ahead of the first Geely sold in Australia, the MK1.5. “But even EC7 is not designed for mature markets,” he says.

“We continue to work with Geely, working in partnership on platforms for their future models, supporting sales and service support for the Geely MK in Western Australia.” Geely has a range of sedans and SUVs that have potential in the Australian market. The company that owns Volvo currently sells vehicles to 30 countries and exported 100,000 vehicles in 2012.