The Geely Emgrand is the saloon that began life in 2009 as the Emgrand EC7, the first model of Geely’s premium brand. It was the first car designed and built in China to score four stars in Euro NCAP tests, and it became the country’s best-selling domestic sedan. When the Emgrand brand was closed in 2014 the car itself simply took the name.
Geely Emgrand at a glance
| Maker | Geely Auto, China |
|---|---|
| Brand launched | July 2009 |
| First model | Emgrand EC7 |
| Engines at launch | 1.5-litre 4G15 and 1.8-litre 4G18, Mitsubishi-sourced |
| Euro NCAP | four stars, the first Chinese-designed car to score them |
| Second generation | 2014, same platform, new Geely emblem |
| Third generation | May 2018, saloon only |
| Fourth generation | August 2021, BMA platform, 1.5-litre 114 hp |
| Best seller | China’s best-selling domestic sedan as of October 2015 |
| Also assembled | Iraq (SCAI), Belarus (BelGee), Russia (Derways) |
History of the Geely Emgrand
The Emgrand brand, 2009
Geely launched the Emgrand brand in July 2009 as its medium-to-high-end marque, with the EC7 as the car that introduced it. The saloon was designed from the start as an export model, and Geely brought in outside suppliers for the job: Siemens for the electronic control system, Lear Corporation for the seats and Saint-Gobain for the glass, while the production line used equipment from Fuji, PDE and Dürr. At launch the engine range consisted of Mitsubishi-sourced units, a 1.5-litre 4G15 and a 1.8-litre 4G18 four-cylinder.
The approach paid off in Europe, where the EC7 scored four stars in Euro NCAP tests, the first car designed and produced in China to do so. British prices were estimated at £10,000 for the 1.5-litre model when the car was being prepared for the market. By October 2015 the Emgrand was China’s best-selling domestic sedan.
Building it around the world
The EC7 was assembled or sold in a long list of countries. In Iraq the EC7 and the larger EC8 were put together by the state-owned company SCAI, and in Iran the EC7 and EC7-RV were sold by Geelran, Geely’s official agent. In Russia the car was made by Derways from complete knockdown kits from 23 May 2012, and Derways recalled cars built between May and November 2014 because of problems with the brake hoses. Production began in Belarus in 2018 with the BelGee joint venture, which built the car as the Emgrand 7.
Elsewhere the car arrived under different names. In Taiwan it was sold from May 2012 as the Tobe M’way by Yulon; in Sri Lanka it carried the Micro brand owned by Geely; in South Africa it was launched in 2013 at R149,000, at the same time as in Namibia. A British launch was planned for late 2012 through Geely Auto UK, a subsidiary shared with Manganese Bronze and LTI and based in Coventry, with a 40-strong dealer network of small family garages of the kind that once sold Škodas and Rovers.
After the brand
The second-generation Emgrand was shown at the 2014 Beijing Auto Show carrying Geely’s new Earth emblem, and that change of badge marked the end of Emgrand as a separate premium brand. The new car kept the platform of the EC7. A facelift for the 2017 model year brought Geely’s Cosmos grille and redesigned tail lights.
A third generation went on sale in May 2018 as a saloon only, again on the platform that had underpinned the first two, with a revised front and a completely new rear end. A minor update for 2019 added a lightly revised grille and a new infotainment system. The fourth generation was launched in China in August 2021 on the new BMA platform, with a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine of 114 hp (85 kW); it was the last Emgrand for China to use the Mitsubishi 4G15 engine.
Design and features
- Export design: developed from the start for markets outside China, with Siemens, Lear and Saint-Gobain as suppliers.
- Four Euro NCAP stars: the first Chinese-designed and built car to reach that score.
- Long platform life: three generations shared the same basic underpinnings.
- Worldwide assembly: built or assembled in Iraq, Iran, Russia, Belarus, Taiwan and Sri Lanka.
Geely Emgrand versions
- EC7 (2009): the original saloon, with 1.5- and 1.8-litre Mitsubishi engines.
- EC7-RV: the hatchback version, sold alongside the saloon in several markets.
- EC8: the larger saloon assembled with the EC7 in Iraq.
- Tobe M’way: the Taiwanese version sold by Yulon from 2012.
- Emgrand 7: the name used by BelGee in Belarus from 2018.
- Emgrand Up (2020): the 2021-model facelift with a vertically slotted grille.
The Emgrand sat above the Geely FC in Geely’s range, next to the smaller Geely LC. More cars are in the Geely collection.
Sources
- Geely Emgrand, English Wikipedia: EC7 history, engines, markets, generations
- Geely Emgrand, German Wikipedia: fourth generation, platform, power output
.jpg){kind=link}
