Geely has officially launched Xingyue L in its home market. The flagship model, dubbed as the most advanced SUV ever to be launched by Geely, made its bow at an event in Hangzhou, the carmaker’s home city. First unveiled in January as the KX11 before making its debut at Auto Shanghai 2021 in April, Geely has collected close to 30,000 pre-orders for the Xingyue L. The third model to Geely’s flagship ‘Star’ series after the Xingyue S SUV coupe and Xing Rui/Preface sedan, the Xingyue L is a five-seater SUV built on the Geely-Volvo Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) platform that also underpins the Volvo XC40, Polestar 2 and various Lynk & Co models.
The big SUV is powered by the group’s 2.0L direct injection turbo engine in two states of tune. The 238 PS/380 Nm version is paired to an Aisin eight-speed automatic gearbox and BorgWarner’s sixth-generation 4WD system with 50:50 front/rear torque distribution. There are five drive modes – Eco, Normal, Sport, Snow, Offroad – and 0-100 km/h is done in 7.7 seconds. A detuned version of the same engine offers 218 PS and 325 Nm. Just two tenths slower to 100 km/h, this front-wheel-drive version comes with an in-house seven-speed wet dual-clutch transmission.
As part of the Blue Geely Initiative, Star models including the Xingyue L will be the first to offer buyers the option of the Geely Hybrid System (GHS) 2.0 hybrid powertrain in the near future. GHS 2.0 will be fully unveiled in Q4 this year, offering “world-class thermal efficiency of 43.32% and fuel savings exceeding 40%,” the company says. The Hangzhou carmaker says that its latest model goes beyond Level 2 autonomous drive. Xingyue L comes with Geely’s new 5G-enabled completely unmanned automated valet system. Within a 200m area such as a parking lot, the Xingyue L can drive independently, search for parking spots and park itself. The reverse can also be accomplished by calling the SUV to pick up the user within a 200m area!
This feat is achieved through the integration of 12 ultrasonic radars, five millimetre wave radars, four HD surround view cameras, one monocular camera, one dashcam, and one interior camera. The Xingyue L is also the first Geely to offer HWA Highway Assisted Driving which actively monitors the vehicle’s surroundings, autonomously change lanes, and move away from large vehicles. Drivers can also direct the car to autonomously change lanes by signalling. The Xingyue L comes with full firmware OTA which allows fundamental aspects of the vehicle, including intelligent safety, infotainment, power, chassis, autonomous drive and connectivity to be upgraded over time.
Geely says that the Xingyue’s interior is a blend of east and west. Custom suede is present throughout for a “low-key hint of luxury” and weaving in the seats incorporate Chinese elements like classical knots. The panoramic integrated cockpit space houses the brand’s latest operating system – Milky Way OS supports seamless linkage of four screens, including two infotainment screens, a digital instrument panel and a 25.6-inch AR HUD. Lastly, the luxury SUV sports a 10-speaker Bose sound system with engine harmonic noise reduction technology and double layered soundproofing. There’s also a customisable 72 colour “atmospheric lighting scheme” that changes according to the drive mode.
