Electrified Geely ute offered to other brands

GEELY says its incoming ute model will be developed in Australia from the earliest stages as the Chinese auto giant positions itself as a potential platform-sharing partner for legacy rivals that it says will struggle to meet tough emissions rules in Australia and overseas.

Speaking with GoAuto in Hangzhou, Geely Auto International vice president Alex Gu – who also serves as CEO of Geely Australia – said the brand’s R&D team was preparing to establish itself in Australia to conduct development work for its new pick-up.

“Besides the Geely International teams working in Australia, our R&D (department) soon will bring their teams to stay in Australia; that is already in the process,” Mr Gu said, affirming that prototypes would be shipped over.

The new pick-up is being benchmarked on the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux and will use Geely’s new plug-in hybrid (PHEV) off-roading platform, which is semi-monocoque and supports up to three electric motors and 745kW of power.

A rear differential lock is part of the standard package and vehicles based on the platform will support wading depth of up to 800mm. AI-driven systems are in also development to enhance off-road capability through software.

While a turbo-petrol engine will unlock combined range of more than 1000km, the Geely 4WD platform has a large PHEV battery for more than 100km of electric driving – a key measure to reduce CO2 levels beneath NVES penalty limits.

Geely is gearing up to offer the ute and 4WD platform to legacy brands that it believes will be existentially challenged by NVES.

Ford and Geely have reportedly engaged in talks regarding both manufacturing capacity and technology tie-ups, according to Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal, although these claims have been denied by Ford executives.

But Mr Gu suggested the Ford Ranger might need Geely tech, because it would be a cheaper, faster way to comply with NVES.

When asked by GoAuto whether a next-generation Ranger could use Geely powertrains, or even an entire Geely platform, Mr Gu replied “Why not?” and said his door was open to Ford.

The Ranger is currently Australia’s best-selling new vehicle and a staple of Ford’s line-up, but Geely sees danger on the horizon for legacy brands that may be underprepared for emissions penalty-driven margin crunches.

“Either they spend a huge investment (and) a long time to develop their new energy platform, or they find a brand like Geely for co-operation,” Mr Gu said.

Ford ASEAN declined to comment on these remarks.

The US car-maker released a PHEV version of the Ranger in Australia last year, partly in a bid to reduce CO2 emissions, and Ford Europe is understood to be investigating options for a next-generation commercial vehicle strategy.

Geely’s Australian ute ambitions have been presented alongside a broader push by the Chinese company to sell its technology solutions to other car-makers.

Mr Gu cited Geely’s existing supply of vehicles to Renault, and hybrid powertrains to Mercedes-Benz, as examples of successful “deep collaborations”.

Asked whether similar cooperation could occur in the ute segment, where platform-sharing is commonplace, Mr Gu said: “yes, it should be”.