The history of the Geely car brand
The four-wheeler market is replete with all sorts of brands, with lineups ranging from conventional vehicles to artsy and luxurious models. Each brand strives to win the attention of motorists with new and original solutions.
Famous car manufacturers include Geely. Let's take a closer look at the history of the brand.
Founder
The company was founded in 1984. Its founder was Chinese entrepreneur Li Shufu. Initially, in the production workshop, the young businessman was in charge of the manufacture of refrigerators, as well as spare parts for them.
In 86, the company already had a good reputation, but just three years later, the Chinese authorities obliged all entrepreneurs to acquire a special license to manufacture this category of goods. For this reason, the young director slightly changed the profile of the company - it began to produce construction and decorative wooden materials.
1992 was a landmark year for Geely to be on the road to carmaker status. In that year, an agreement was signed with the Japanese company Honda Motors. The production workshops began the production of components for motorcycle transport, as well as some two-wheeled models of the Japanese brand.
Just two years later, Geely's scooter took the lead in the Chinese market. This provided a good ground for developing custom motorcycle models. 5 years after the start of cooperation with Honda, this brand already has its own site with a good circulation of motorcycles and scooters. From this year, the owner of the company decided to develop his own engine, which was equipped with scooters.
At the same time, the idea was born to enter the automotive industry. In order for car enthusiasts to distinguish a car of any brand, each company develops its own logo.
Emblem
Initially, the Geely emblem was in the shape of a circle, inside which there was a white drawing on a blue background. Some motorists saw a bird's wing in it. Others thought that the brand's logo was a snow cap of a mountain against a blue sky.
In 2007, the company launched a competition to create an updated logo. The designers chose the option with red and black rectangles enclosed in a gold frame. This badge resembles gold-cut gems.
Not so long ago, this logo was slightly modified. The colors of the "stones" have changed. They are now blue and gray. The previous logo was shown only on luxury cars and SUVs. To date, all modern Geely models have an updated blue-gray badge.
Vehicle history in models
The motorcycle brand released its first car in 1998. The model was based on a platform from Daihatsu Charade. The Haoqing SRV hatchback was equipped with two engine options: a three-cylinder internal combustion engine with a volume of 993 cubic centimeters, as well as a four-cylinder analogue, only its total volume was 1342 cubic meters. The power of the units was 52 and 86 horsepower.
Since 2000, the brand has released another model - MR. Customers were offered two body options - a sedan or a hatchback. The car was originally called Merrie. Five years later, the model received an update - a 1,5-liter engine was installed under the hood of the transport.
The following year (2001), the brand begins production of cars under license as a registered private car manufacturer. Thanks to this, Geely becomes the leader among Chinese auto brands.
Here are further milestones in the history of the Chinese brand:
- 2002 - a cooperation agreement was signed with Daewoo, as well as the Italian carriage-building company Maggiora, which ceased to exist the following year;
- 2003 - the beginning of the export of cars;
- 2005 - for the first time takes part in a prestigious auto show (Frankfurt Motor Show). Haoqing, Uliou and Merrie were introduced to European motorists. It is the first Chinese manufacturer to make its products available to European buyers;
- 2006 - Auto Show in Detroit, USA also introduced some Geely models. At the same time, the development of an automatic transmission and a liter power unit with a capacity of 78 horses were presented to the public;
- 2006 - the beginning of production of one of the most popular models - MK. Two years later, the elegant sedan appeared on the Russian market. The model received a 1,5-liter engine with a capacity of 94 horsepower;
- 2008 - The FC model was presented at the Detroit Auto Show, a sedan significantly larger than its predecessors. A 1,8 liter unit (139 horsepower) is installed in the engine compartment. The car is capable of reaching a maximum speed of 185 km / h;
- 2008 - the first engines powered by a gas installation appear in the line. At the same time, an agreement is signed with Yulon for the joint development and creation of electric cars;
- 2009 - a subsidiary company specializing in the production of luxury cars appears. The first member of the family is Geely Emgrand (EC7). The spacious family car received quality electronics and accessories, for which it was awarded four stars during testing by NCAP;
- 2010 - the company acquires the Volvo Cars division from Ford;
- 2010 - the brand introduces the Emgrand EC8 model. The business class car receives advanced equipment for passive and active safety systems;
- 2011 - on the territory of the post-Soviet space, a subsidiary company "Geely Motors" appears - part-time the official distributor of the company in the CIS countries;
- 2016 - a new brand Lynk & Co appears, the public saw the first model of the new brand;
- 2019 - On the basis of cooperation between the Chinese brand and the German automaker Daimler, the joint development of electric vehicles and premium hybrid models is announced. The joint venture was named Smart Automobile.
Today, Chinese cars are popular due to their relatively low price (compared to similar cars from other brands such as Ford, Toyota, etc.) and abundant equipment.
The company's growth is due not only to increased sales through entering the CIS market, but also due to the takeover of smaller enterprises. Geely already has 15 car factories and 8 factories for the manufacture of gearboxes and motors. Manufacturing facilities are located all over the world.
In conclusion, we offer a video review of one of the premium crossovers from the Chinese brand:
