A quick (speculative) look at the upcoming Geely Emgrand

Geely's rise in the automotive world has become undeniable. 

Locally, the Chinese carmaker's greatest hits (through distributor Sojitz Auto G Philippines or SGAP) included growing its dealership count to 24 and ramping up customer service efforts. Most notably, it ranked as the third best-selling brand in the country.

All of these Geely achieved in 2021 alone. 

What's more, Geely even made its best-selling model the Coolray, well, even cooler by giving it a fresh paint job and fantastic features. The Coolray's stablemates, the Okavango and Azkarra, brought novel attractions — such as mild-hybrid power — to their respective crossover and SUV segments. 

Outside our market, the Chinese carmaker's claims to fame continues. It sold almost 400,000 units of the Coolray worldwide, invested big bucks in auto technologies, and even installed a former VW Group designer in its design division. 

Now, carrying such promise, Geely can confidently enter the competitive subcompact sedan scene with the Emgrand. This model is scheduled to arrive this week — with hopes that it can replicate the success of the brand's crossovers.  

The Emgrand shares with the Coolray a technical blueprint that Geely calls B-segment Modular Architecture (BMA). The sedan was introduced in its home market last year. However, it's quite odd that this new Emgrand doesn't appear in Geely's global website.

What the website does show, on the other hand, are the Emgrand's larger sedan siblings, whose styling details — such as waterfall radiator grille, broad shoulder lines, and horizontal tail lamps — that make the subcompact's styling classy. 

What's more, the Emgrand's absence in the website means there's little of the car's specifications to go about. Even in its own page, SGAP is keeping understandably tight-lipped about the Emgrand.

But there's still good news. Based on its size and engine specs we've managed to find — and the highlights of the foreign-market car — the Emgrand is already looking to be evenly matched with the superior small sedan, the Toyota Vios. 

Engine	1.5-liter gasoline
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,650 mm
Length	4,638 mm
Width	1,820 mm
Height	1,460 mm

 

The Emgrand's naturally-aspirated 1.5-liter reportedly makes 112hp and 147Nm. A five-speed manual gearbox or a CVT are the transmission options. 

Inside, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10.25-inch infotainment screen takes center stage. A white-and-blue color scheme jazzes up the Emgrand's cabin. Here's hoping PH-spec cars carry the unique interior color combo.  

More enticing equipment include a CN95 intelligent air filtration system, and a modern flat-bottomed three-spoke steering wheel — both of which are also found in the Coolray. For safety, the Emgrand is equipped with a surround view camera system, high-definition dashcam recorder, and hands-free tailgate. 

The Emgrand is built in Geely Auto’s 5G Connected Factory, which is capable of producing one car every 30 minutes.

We predict that the price of this smart, stylish, and well-equipped sedan could range from P700,000 to P1 million. This price range slots below the Coolray's, and again, matches that of the small sedan segment leader. 

Time will only tell whether the Emgrand will dethrone the leading Japanese. But if initial good impressions last, the Emgrand is worthy of being another Geely success story.  

Photos from Geely and Roy Robles