Geely looks to get ahead of the future
THE GEELY Auto Group — which by now is no stranger to the Philippine motoring public — very recently revealed some amazing news about its big plans for the future.
Firstly, it officially launched a new global powertrain brand, Leishen Power, and with it, a new, world-class modular intelligent hybrid powertrain platform, called Leishen Hi-X. The latter carries not only an engine with ultra-high thermal efficiency (at an impressive 43.32%), but also the world’s most advanced three-speed dedicated hybrid transmission (DHT). Moreover, the Leishen Hi-X will boast of full powertrain firmware over the air (FOTA) updating capabilities, alongside a 40% reduction in fuel consumption (per its NEDC rating). Having said all that, the Hi-X is now the industry’s most adaptable and expandable powertrain in terms of space, levels of electrification and power delivery.
Think about it. This new intelligent hybrid powertrain platform can soon be used for vehicles in the A- to C-segments for any of the models carried by brands within the Geely Auto Group. Though the first models which it says will be bestowed with the Leishen Hi-X platform powertrain system are those under its “Star series,” namely: the Xing Yue (Tugella) and Xing Rui (Preface) vehicles.
Secondly — and quite timely for the 2021 Glasgow International Climate Change Conference that is currently ongoing in Scotland — the Geely Auto Group also officially unveiled its Smart Geely 2025 Strategy. It is basically the group’s road map that outlines the future development of more electric vehicles and sustainably developed central components for vehicles. Among the highlights of this disclosure is how Geely intends to have BEV, HEV, and long-range PHEV vehicle models as the core of its product offerings.
Furthermore, the group also wishes to underline its unwavering commitment toward sustainable development, and having said so, wish to reduce total emissions by 25% by the year 2025 (that’s almost just three years from now!). Ultimately, the brand wishes to achieve carbon neutrality in its business by 2045.
China is the world’s biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions, and in its updated pledges during the ongoing Glasgow Climate Change Summit, it includes promising its country’s emissions to be cut to “net zero” by the year 2060. The Geely Auto Group definitely appears to be in line with achieving this goal, if not already ahead of schedule.
Both the announcements of the Smart Geely 2025 Strategy and the launch of its new Leishen Power brand represent the group’s acceleration towards its ideal of becoming a technology-led, global automotive group committed to technological innovations. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that this is also forecast to boost Geely Auto’s sales (across the Geely Auto, Lynk & Co., Geometry, and Zeekr brands) to 3.65 million units by 2025. In case you are not familiar, Zeekr is its premium electric vehicle brand, and it already aims to contribute about 650,000 units to the Group’s annual sales figure by 2025.
Furthermore, Geely sees itself focusing on developing its markets in the Eastern Europe, Middle East, Southeast Asian, and South American markets. It plans to introduce new energy products to the EU and to Asia-Pacific markets, as well as expand its presence in Russia, Australia, and New Zealand.
By 2023, the Geely Auto Group will also be launching a new battery-swapping mobility brand, and alongside it five new smart “battery-swapping” electric models. Also by 2023, Geely plans to begin its mass production of silicon carbide power modules for its 800V car technologies. So far, that’s already a lot of great things to watch for from the forward-thinking Chinese multinational automotive company headquartered in Hangzhou.
In a nutshell, Smart Geely 2025 capitalizes on three smart systems to seamlessly achieve its ambitious goals: smart power, smart manufacturing, and smart service. Technology has always been a main driving force behind Geely, and it sure looks like it’s all primed to bring the future of automotive tech to its consumers.