Geely expands SUV line with 2020 Haoyue 7-seater
Geely premieres 2020 Haoyue 7-seater SUV
Geely they just premiered an all-new model, one that would be very interesting for the Philippine market.
Meet the all-new 2020 Geely Haoyue, a new model that the Chinese automaker bills as their "big, big, big, and spacious" SUV. What makes it different (and packed with potential for export markets like ours) is that the Haoyue will be available in either 5-seat or 7-seat configuration.
That means this could be the third key model of Geely for the Philippine market after the compact Coolray and the 5-seater Azkarra.
When it comes to design, Geely has already been stepping up their game, and the Haoyue follows the brand's new design direction, beginning with the "expanding cosmos" grille. It "expands" to a pair of rectangular LED headlights with inverted L-shaped daytime running lights. Geely says the headlights are ADB matrix LEDs that can automatically adjust depending on steering angle and level off depending on the vehicle's height. The primary lighting is complemented a unique longitudinal arrangement for the foglamps to give a sense of presence.
The character lines on the flanks are well defined, and the fenders and quarter panels have muscular overtones thanks to the chiseled wheel arches. The Haoyue crossover has 190mm of minimum ground clearance and comes with a large panoramic sunroof.
The Haoyue measures in at 4835 mm long, 1,900 mm wide, and 1,780 mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2,185 mm, making it Geely’s largest SUV offering so far. Dimension-wise it’s similarly sized to the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, which is in between the Hyundai Santa Fe and Ford Explorer.
Geely tried to pursue a rather clean and symmetrical cockpit with unique details like an infinity (∞) motif similar to the Coolray on the airconditioning vents. The main screen sticks up from the center stack like a tablet, highlighting the connected nature of modern Geely models.
Geely says the model boasts of very efficient use of space. The company says that the Haoyue has a "space efficiency" of 69%, something that is oddly inspired by Honda's "man maximum, machine minimum concept".
The second and third-row (7-seat models) seats can fold completely flat to accommodate a double bed which actually comes as an option along with an air compressor. The company says it was able to achieve the fold-flat seats by making the second-row flooring non-convex. Cargo space for the 5-seater is at 2,370 liters, while the 7-seater can carry up to 2,050 liters. Geely says the Haoyue can fit LCD TVs and refrigerators; that should be fun at Christmas raffles.
Powering the Haoyue is a 1.8-liter turbocharged inline-four engine that Geely calls their flagship engine. It's also found in the Emgrand GT and X7 Sport, and is rated at 183 PS with a maximum torque of 300 Nm. This is mated to a 7-speed DCT (dual-clutch automatic transmission) similarly found in the Coolray and Azkarra models. We expect 4WD and FWD options for the model.
We expect that the Philippine distributor of Geely, Sojitz G Auto, is looking forward to marketing the new 7-seat Haoyue once the situation settles down. What is clear though is that they will have to rename the model first, as the Haoyue name may not strike the right note with buyers not from the PRC.
