Chinese media are reporting that Volvo will transfer the XC90 platform to Geely. Volvo is currently developing the new XC90 which will debut in 2014. Geely will use the platform to build a new  ‘premium’ brand for the Chinese market.

The XC90  is based on Volvo’s highly flexible P2 platform. It underpins, among others, the current Volvo S80, the Ford Taurus and the Lincoln MKS. The transfer is part of a bigger technology transfer agreement that Geely and Volvo agreed on in early March.

A cheap way for Geely to get a new platform, but the current XC90 is over ten years old. Still, it is more advanced than anything Geely has today. Geely only recently launched its first full-size SUV, the Geely GLEagle GX7. When Geely’s new premium will launch is yet unclear but a concept could be ready for the Shanghai Auto Show in April next year.

Via: 163.com.

Volvo is working on a stretched S60 that will debut at the Chinese market sometime next year. The S60L will compete with cars such as the Audi A4L and the BMW 3Li. These two cars are made in china, the S60L however will not, which will make it more expensive than its competition. The Volvo S80L, a China-only stretched S80, is made locally at the Chang’an-Volvo joint venture.

The S60 will be made in China in the new Geely-Volvo factory in the future, but production won’t start before 2014. The Audi A4L and BMW 3Li are both stretched by 11 centimeters, so the Volvo has to do at least that or more. Price of the current imported S60 starts at  282.800 yuan and ends at 529.800 yuan. Engines: 1.6 turbo, 2.0 turbo and 3.0 T6.

Via: Autohome.

The new Geely GLEagle GX7 SUV was launched on the Chinese car market earlier this week. A dealer in the great city of Shenzhen in Guangdong Province found a fine way to get potential buyers into his showroom. He dressed up one GX7 like a tank, in battle dress and with a rather dangerous cannon on the roof. Good work…

Swedish car maker Volvo, owned by Chinese group Geely, said it was on track to meet its long-term goal of boosting sales more than four-fold in China after reporting a fall in 2011 earnings due to costs related to its expansion.

Volvo was bought by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co Ltd from Ford Motor Co in 2010. It plans to boost output from over 400,000 cars to more than 800,000 by 2020.

“Overall, we are on track to achieve our long term objective of 200,000 sales in the Chinese market,” the company said in a statement after reporting a fall in 2011 operating earnings to 1.6 billion Swedish crowns ($237.8 million) from 2.3 billion crowns in 2010.

It sold 47,000 vehicles in China in 2011 out of 449,255, but China was the fastest-growing market, up 54.4 percent.

The U.S. market, which remains its single biggest, grew 24.7 percent to 67,273 units while second-largest market Sweden was up 10.5 percent to 52,894.

It said the sales network in China was expanding and that construction at a plant in Chengdu had begun. Geely is also parent of listed Geely Automotive Holdings Ltd.

Volvo said investigations were “ongoing” for a potential second plant as well as an engine plant in China, where its market share was just 0.3 percent last year.

It said the 2011 profit was hit by research and development costs and industrial capacity to support its expansion plans.

“Additionally, unfavourable exchange rates and higher raw material prices affected bottom line results negatively,” it added. It said costs associated with expansion would affect profitability in the short to mid term.

It saw global economic uncertainty continuing to affect consumer confidence this year, with the European car market expected to decrease and the U.S. market projected to improve.

“The luxury segment of the car market in China is projected to increase,” it added.

Via: Reuters.

Geely is the biggest shareholder in Magna Holdings, the maker of the iconic TX4 London Taxi. Geely also makes the TX4 in China where it is sold as Englon TX4, Englon means ‘England-London’. The TX4 sells mostly to taxi companies but private buyers can get it too. Price starts at 208.000 yuan but this white example on pic costs 288.000 yuan. Why so much? Well, you are not going to believe this…

It is expensive because this ain’t no ordinary TX4. It is a super-luxury TX4 called ‘TX4 Custom’. Two captain-seats in the back, loads of leather, thick carpet, booze-cabinet, hi-tech stereo-system, a fridge, and best of all: two pairs of hotel-slippers! Not a concept, not some funny show-thing, it is for very real and can be ordered right now.

Buyers can choose the color of the interior and add things like a TV or a computer. Geely says, Geely hopes, that the price can easily go over 300.000 yuan. But who on earth will buy? Geely doesn’t say. Chinese media suggest wedding companies and the like, but I guess that is not the market Geely is looking for. They likely want some kinda mad executives who like things English.

Great craftsmanship. Bentley-ish, in a TX4. I like this, it is a crazy idea and it won’t work, but still, I like it very mich. Geely can be crazy sometimes, that is good, the China car market needs more Geely’s.

That white thing is…

… the fridge. Big enough for a couple of beers bottle of champagne.

Geely did not forget about the chauffeur. Wood and more leather. Power comes from a 2.4 four-cylinder that poops out 152hp and 212nm, mated to a new 6-speed automatic transmission, the standard TX4 has to do with a 5-speeder. Top speed is a claimed 155km/h.

You wouldn’t say…

Via: Autohome.

After hanging around on auto shows as a ‘concept’ for over two years the Geely GLEagle GX7 has finally been launched on the Chinese car market. Price starts at 92.900 yuan and ends at 129.900 yuan. Geely will soon launch the Englon SX7 and the Emgrand EX7, which are exactly the same cars with a slightly different grill and different badges.

The GLEagle GX7 is a fine looking machine with a tad to much RAV4 in its lines. Still, it clearly shows Geely knows how to make decent good-looking cars these days. Power: 1.8 mated to a six-speed manual, 2.0 mated to a 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic. A 2.4 is on the way is well, it will be available later this year. Size: 4544/1832/1720 mm, wheelbase is 2660 mm.

Via: Autohome.

Volvo brings the R-Design line to China. The start with the V60 R-Design that will be offered in a limited edition of only 333 examples, buyer can choose only four special colors: black, bright-blue, passion-red and snow-white. The V60 is imported and thus expensive, price for all this pretty is 499.900 yuan.

Power is decent enough. 3.0 ‘T6′ V6 turbo with 304hp and 440nm, mated to a 6-speed Geartronic automatic transmission sending power to all four wheels. The R-Design line has to appeal to Chinese car buyers looking for more individuality and more power, this segment of the market is growing like crazy in China at the moment, all car makers are scrambling to bring their most powerful machinery to the Chinese market, as fast as they can.

Via: Sohu.com.

And here we have yet another great concept car from Geely at the Beijing Auto Show. Eearlier on we saw the mad Geely SC7-RS, the madder Geely Englon SX6, the normal GEeagle McCar and the grilled Geely Emgrand EX6. This fine white Jeep-like SUV is the Geely GLEagle GX5 and it is interesting because it is new and not new, at the same time.

This GLEagle GX5 is basically a 5-door version of the 3-door GLEagle GX5 that debuted two years ago (scroll down a bit) at the 2010 Beijing Auto Show. Except for the two extra doors not much has changed, let alone some minor details around the mirrors and cool new alloys. Geely calls this GX5 a ‘YUV’, which stands for ‘Young’s SUV’, or an SUV for young people. I would think those youngies would indeed like a vehicle like the GX5 very much, so what is Geely waiting for? I asked around and one booth-person said 2014. That seems on the late side, small flashy SUV’s are getting hot right now at the Chinese car market, so bring it on!

Size: 4120/1755/1600, wheelbase is 2461 .Three-door GX5: length is 3813 and wheelbase is 2370. Power: a 1.5 mated to a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic, or Geely’s hot 1.3 turbo mated to a 6-speed manual or 6-speed DCT. Same engines indeed as in the Geely Emgrand EX6 concept. Wheelbase is the same as well which very likely means both cars are on the same platform which could mean production is not that far away.

Cool.

Being a YUV or not being a YUV, that is the question.

Babe seems to like GX5 pretty well, so do we, and we like babe.

A very nice new concept car from Geely and see how that babe loves it. This is the Geely Emgrand EX6 ‘Super Cross’, a preview of a new small-size SUV that has to hit the Chinese market in 2014 or 2015, the EX6 debuted earlier this week at the Beijing Auto Show. The fat golden grill is perfectly in line with current fashion, spiced up just a but for show. Let’s have a closer look at it:

Very nice lines. Shiny, but not vulgar. Sleek lines wit some softness in ‘m. Begging to be touched.

Wheel arches very good. Car loox rough, ready for the mountains. Alloys very nice, but I would like to see the door handles in black. The chrome there is just a tad too much. Size: 4120/1755/1600, wheelbase is 2461. Min ground clearance is 172mm. Engines, yez that’s a plural, Geely always does that for concept cars, are a 1.5 mated to a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic, or Geely’s hot 1.3 turbo mated to a 6-speed manual or 6-speed DCT.

Even though this EX6 has some concept-craziness production is very likely. The Chinese market is hot for small SUV’s that are slightly different than the rest. Slightly, that is, the line is thin, when an automaker goes too far sales will be minimal. Does this EX6 go to far? Sure not!

This is new Geely GLEagle McCar concept car, it debuted earlier this week at the Beijing Auto Show. The McCar, aka Moka, is basically and update of an earlier McCar concept, that however was a much smaller vehicle. The McCar previews a new generation of city-taxi’s and is meant to replace the aging Englon TX4 which doesn’t sell well in China. The McCar’s big-thing is an innovative back door where small scooters, bicycles and wheelchairs can easily move in and out.

Your taxi driver. Geely says the McCar is a truly multifunctional vehicle. They want to sell various variations for various markets: the McCar Care, for ferrying wheelchairs around, the McCar Active, for that scooter and bicycle, and the McCar Relax without any weird stuff in the back. The scooter can be used in both the Care, for emergency response, as in the Active, for trekking a mountain.

When I arrived to take my pics the scooter had sadly gone, it wasn’t elsewhere on stage either. Guess it was active at another location.

Nicked me a pick to show you the scooter. The bicycle and baby trolley always fit in, but buyer has to choose between the scooter and the wheelchair.

Dash very nicely done. Not too conceptish, seems ready to roll. The McCar is is hybrid, the system works, the McCar was seen driving on stage. Chery said small patrol engines or a full-electric drive-train are possible as well. Length of the McCar is only 3.7 meters making this an extremely clever package.

Now the question: is that girl wearing trousers under her skirt?