Geely launches Geometry and the Geometry A

By ahmadzulizwan, 13 April 2019
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Geely Holdings has officially launched the newest sub-brand underneath the group, an entirely new company called Geometry that focusses only on pure electric vehicle. By that we mean plug-in hybrids or battery hybrids will still be Geely auto products, but anything that has no combustion engine will be the work of Geometry. And unlike Volvo and Lotus (and Proton, although we don’t want to go there), Geometry is a new entity and fully initiated by Geely.

Singapore was chosen as the global launch location as it is a global city and one that puts emphasis on the environment and sustainability. Also making its way to the event was Geometry’s first product, called the A.

Yes, that naming system where Geometry is followed by a single alphabet does remind us of a certain pure electric vehicle company from America. It’s deliberate apparently, they’re taking the fight to Tesla, and intends to challenge the company and products inspired by Elon Musk for the honour of being the first-in-mind when it come to pure electric vehicles.

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That’s a tough mission as Tesla has a few years of advantage and has achieved coolness (for the lack of a better term). Indeed, just like Tesla, Geometry will be positioned as a ‘premium’ vehicle; although a clear advantage it has is the pricing strategy.

There are two variants of the A – the standard range version with estimated capacity for 410km of driving, and the long range version with 500km (although both are assessed using the NEDC cycle and not WLTP). Here’s where it gets interesting – the standard range starts from RMB150,000 or roughly RM92,200, while the long range version starts from RMB170,000 (RM104,500). These are prices after it gets all the fiscal incentives provided for by the Chinese government, but even then those are low prices for something you’d expect to be priced twice that amount. Malaysia does not have a solid, long-term incentive package for pure electric vehicles – or PHEVS for that matter – so the government will have to think hard about this.

Alas, not that it truly matters because Geely and Geometry have yet to make decision as to when a right-hand drive version will be made available. They will have to do so rather quickly however because Geometry has already chosen a dealer for the region; Singapore’s Hong Seh Motors will be responsible for the distribution of Geometry cars in South-East Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.

Will Proton take the lead in assembling the RHD Geometrys? The new company has yet to decide, but I think that’s a long shot. Will be happy to be wrong, though.