Geely has lifted the veils off its first global
electric vehicle, the GE11, during a design preview event in Shanghai. The GE11 is the first model of
the Chinese automaker’s newly-created “Geely New Energy” brand. The company
wanted the new model’s design to stress the fact that it’s a fully electric
vehicle. The GE11’s exterior combines sleek surfaces with fluid
flowing lines for an ultra-low drag coefficient of 0.2375. The car also displays a new
silver logo that will be featured on all upcoming models from the Geely New
Energy brand.
Geely has now released photos of the cabin as well. The interior looks
minimalist and high-tech at the same time thanks to the combination between the
12.3-inch widescreen central display, the smaller floating screen behind the
steering wheel, and the illuminated digital touch buttons that replace most
mechanical buttons in the car.
Highlights also include the central armrest’s double
layered control that hides a storage space beneath offering wireless charging,
the multifunction two-spoke steering wheel with a design that reminds of the
pre-facelift Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the geometric details on top of the
dashboard, and the tactile materials. Geely says the GE11 feature a humanistic
design “which deepens the relationship between users and products.”
That’s partly accomplished through the use of
materials that meet the EU’s most stringent environmental protection standards
and are considered safe for newborn babies. Those include eco-friendly seat
fabrics that are waterproof, antifouling, and breathable. Geely says the fabric
“prevents the seats from rapidly diverging from the ambient temperature” while
making the seats soft to touch and comfortable to sit on.
Unfortunately, Geely is still keeping the GE11’s
specs under wraps until the model’s launch in the upcoming months. The EV will
initially arrive in first and second-tier cities in China but a global
expansion is also planned.
