LOOK at the design and you would think it is a BMW X4 or a Mercedes GLC Coupe.
With its premium design, high quality interior and a range of fuel efficient engines, this is a Proton Malaysians and also Asean buyers might take up in the thousands if it arrives (assuming its asking price is below RM200k for Malaysians).
This will also signal the retirement of a few rival car models from Malaysia which will not be able to challenge the preferential tax system that has been accorded to Proton as a ‘national car manufacturer’.
This Geely Xing Yue is the brand’s first-ever attempt at making a coupe SUV, and it is a PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle).
The Geely Xing Yue is sold right now in three different versions in China and only a left hand drive version is available.
There is a standard petrol-powered version (with a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine), a mild hybrid one and also a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) model.
Geely offers the new Xing Yue with two-wheel drive or a BorgWarner developed on-demand all-wheel drive (AWD).
However, it is only the high performance, 238-hosepower petrol variant of the Xing Yue that comes equipped with the AWD system.
This performance-oriented version of Geely’s sport coupe SUV can go from 0-100 km/h in 6.8 seconds, which the Chinese carmaker says makes it one of the fastest cars in its class.
Meanwhile, the Xing Yue PHEV can be optioned with one of two lithium-ion battery packs. The lesser of these two is a high-capacity 11.3 kWh battery, which has a claimed 56 km range.
Then there is the top-end version of the Geely Xing Yue PHEV which comes fitted with a larger, ultra-high capacity 15.2 kWh lithium pack. This means it is able to deliver a maximum possible electric-only driving range of 80 km.
Under the bonnet sits a 1.5-litre, turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine.
In the advanced PHEV variants, this powertrain delivers a healthy 254hp and 415Nm of peak torque.
It comes mated to a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox which Geely engineers claim can shift gears in just 0.2 seconds and boasts an industry leading 97% transmission efficiency.
Geely has also claimed a combined fuel efficiency figures of 1.6 L/100 km and 1.2 L/100 km for the high capacity and ultra-high capacity variants of the Xing Yue PHEV, respectively.
With the help of fast charging technology, the battery pack of the high-capacity variant of the Xing Yue PHEV can be topped up in just 90 minutes. Meanwhile, the same battery charging takes about 105 minutes for the long-range version.
Geely has also packed the new Xing Yue with advanced technology for increased safety and better comfort.
There are 22 sensors planted all over the vehicle and these work together with the Xing Yue’s Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Lane Keeping Assist (LKA), Lane Change Assist (LCA), Traffic Jam Assistance (TJA), and Auto-Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection (AEB-P) among others.
This Geely Xing Yue might not be arriving in Malaysia, as a Geely product or as a Proton rebadged SUV in the near future.
However, if there are enough Malaysians asking for it on social media or via thevibes.com then who knows. A right hand drive version might just be developed for Proton and the rest of Southeast Asia. - The Vibes, January 14, 2021
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