Geely CK: the Freedom Ship that went to Cuba

The Geely CK is a subcompact four-door saloon that Geely built from May 2005 to January 2016. Its Chinese name, Ziyoujian, means Freedom Ship or Free Cruiser; abroad it was sold as the Otaka in Russia and as the Gleagle CK at home. It was the first Chinese car shown at an American motor show, and more than 1,500 of them went to Cuba in 2009.

Geely CK at a glance

Based on one source, the English Wikipedia article on the Geely CK.

History of the Geely CK

A Chinese car in Detroit

When the CK appeared at the Detroit Auto Show it was the first Chinese automobile ever displayed at an American auto show, although it was shown to the press only and not to the public. Geely planned to start selling it in Puerto Rico in 2007 on the way to mainland America the following year, but the car failed the IIHS and NHTSA safety tests and those plans were stopped. The CK had already been one of five Geely models on the stand at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2005.

The saloon used a 1.5-litre engine of Toyota design, also licensed for production by Xiali, rated at 94 hp (70 kW) at 6,000 rpm. Its four-speed automatic gearbox was built in China, the first automatic transmission manufactured there. Specification on export cars included power windows and air conditioning.

The CK II and later facelifts

In 2008 Geely released the facelifted CK II with modified headlights and bumpers. The change of face was considerable: the original car was often compared with the Mercedes-Benz W220 S-Class, while the facelift resembled the smaller W203 C-Class. A further facelift was given for 2015, and production ended in January 2016 after almost eleven years. The CK Work, with a 1.3-litre engine of 85 PS, was sold in Colombia as a taxi.

Cuba

At least 1,500 CKs were shipped to Cuba in 2009, where they replaced some of the many Lada 2105s used by government officials and police. The car became a common sight on the island, driven by officials and police and also available to rental fleets; visitors to Havana still meet them in the streets. Cuban drivers, however, have a reputation for finding them unreliable and many prefer the older Russian-built cars.

Safety

In the first crash-test results issued by the Latin New Car Assessment Programme in 2010, the CK versions without airbags were rated zero out of four stars for adult occupants and two out of four for children. The testers reported that protection for the driver was poor for most body regions and that the body shell collapsed significantly; in their view the structure was so weak that even an airbag would not have improved the result.

Design and features

• Toyota-based engine: a 1.5-litre four-cylinder of 94 hp (70 kW).
• Chinese automatic: the four-speed automatic was the first made in China.
• Export specification: power windows and air conditioning on cars sent abroad.
• Weak structure: the Latin NCAP result of 2010 exposed the body shell’s limits.
• Long life: eleven years in production with two facelifts.

Geely CK versions

• CK (2005–2008): the original saloon, with styling close to the Mercedes-Benz W220.
• CK II (2008–): facelift with new headlights and bumpers, resembling the W203 C-Class.
• CK Work: 1.3-litre engine of 85 PS, sold in Colombia as a taxi.
• Gleagle CK: the name used on the Chinese domestic market.
• Geely Otaka: the Russian-market name of 2007–2008.
• 2015 facelift: the final update before production ended in 2016.

The CK shared the Frankfurt stand in 2005 with the Geely CD coupé; the Geely FC was its larger stablemate in the saloon range. More cars are in the Geely collection.

Sources

• Geely CK, English Wikipedia: history, engines, facelifts, Cuba, crash tests