Geely CK
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| Manufacturer | Geely Automobile |
|---|---|
| Also called | Geely Otaka |
| Production | 2005– |
| Class | subcompact car |
| Wheelbase | 2,434 mm (95.8 in) |
| Length | 4,152 mm (163.5 in) |
| Width | 1,680 mm (66.1 in) |
| Height | 1,440 mm (56.7 in) |
| Curb weight | 1,042 kg (2,297 lb) |
The Geely CK is a sedan automobile from Chinese manufacturer, Geely Automobile. Production began in May, 2005. The CK's Chinese name, Baiyoujian, stands for "Freedom Ship" or "Free Cruiser". It was sold as the Geely Otaka on the Russian market in 2007-2008.[1]
The CK holds the distinction of being the first Chinese automobile ever displayed at an American auto show, although it was only shown to the press and not the general public. Geely had planned to begin selling the model in Puerto Rico in 2007 on the way to beginning sales in America the next year. The CK was also shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2005 along with four other Geely models.
The car is becoming a common sight in Cuba, according to a 29 September 2009 Reuters news feature. Displacing Russian Ladas, it is driven by government officials and police and also available to rental car fleets. The specification includes power windows and air conditioning. Still, they have a reputation for being unreliable and many drivers thus prefer the older, Russian-built vehicles.
The CK is based on a South Korean design by Daewoo, Tower Metal, Wooshin Systems, and CES, which Geely licensed. Its 1.5 L engine is a Toyota Motor Corporation design, also licensed. It produces 94 hp (70 kW) at 6000 rpm. The automatic transmission is built in China, the first to be manufactured there. In 2008, the facelifted CK II was released, with modified headlights and bumpers.
In the first car safety crash test results issued by the Latin New Car Assessment Programme, the CK versions without airbags was rated with zero out of four stars for adult occupants, and two out of four stars for child occupant. The press release cited "Protection for the driver poor for most body regions. Significant collapse of the body shell during test." [2]
At least 1500 Geely CKs were shipped to Cuba in 2009, where they would replace some of the many Lada 2105s used by government officials and police.[3][4]
[edit] References
- ^ Geely Otaka. Wroom.ru.
- ^ Latin NCAP. Latin NCAP releases first car safety crash test results. Retrieved on 2010-12-21.
- ^ Cuba: Lada, Hyundai, Geely & vintage Americans dominate. Best Selling Cars, December 14, 2010.
- ^ Israel, Esteban, Russian Lada gets Chinese rival on Cuban roads. Reuters, 2009-09-29.
[edit] External links
- Official website of the CK
- "Chinese Car to Debut at Detroit Auto Show". Ward's AutoWorld. Archived from the original on January 12, 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20060112124949/http://www.wardsauto.com/ar/auto_chinese_car_debut/. Retrieved January 11, 2006.
- "China's lucky man bags Volvo". The Economist. 5 August 2010. http://www.economist.com/node/16750095. Retrieved August 9, 2010.
