Geely still battles for relevance

Geely

Four years ago when Chinese vehicles were introduced to the Nigerian market, it wasn't met with open arms. Consistent reports on the web and even on YouTube showed clearly how poorly their cars performed in crash tests. To make a bad case worse, they had to face almost infinite criticisms for allegedly copying designs.

Yet the Chinese were resolute about proving their ability in the automobile sector. While critics were fuming, sales were going on and before any one could say chung hu, significant volume has been sold.
Some bought them because they thought they could be comfortable and safe, others for value performance, and those who are keen on whichever model is value for money went for them. one of such vehicles is the Geely CK2 and till now, it is still held in utmost contempt by some automobile engineers. 
Inspite of these, the Geely CK2, according to Seyi Onyinola, Managing Director of Hyra Motors, distributors of Geely and Brilliance models, (all Chinese cars) is even beyond the value that is paid for. He believes the Geely is not just good. it is also affordable. “If I have not rated them highly, I am sure I would not be doing what I am doing with Hyra Motors. I think they are very highly rated, they have certainly not reached their peak, but they compete favourably with other brands out there and I think that the best is still yet to come. I rate them very high for a fairly new automobile manufacturer,” Onyinola told Business Hallmark.
At first glance, the Geely certainly gives the impression that it is a lot better built than other mainstream cars that have gained market acceptance over the years. On a closer look, it is not particularly good-looking as it seems, but at least the gaps in the shut-lines are comparatively more consistent.
The vehicle is for those who want value for money and targets nobody in particular. “I would say the middle income, the class A and people that are just coming into the middle income and those below the middle income. We try to cater for everybody. The key thing is people who are conscious about value, people who want more than they pay for, are those we target and you find those people in these segments. In the different segments, you can find very rich people who are looking for value for money, you can find people in the middle class that would naturally look for value for money. We look for emerging people who would really struggle to buy. At every point in time, they are always looking for value for money. We cater for a wide spectrum of people. I would not narrow it down to a particular group of people. We are targeting people that are looking for automobiles that are beyond the value,” Onyinlola added.
Open the doors and suddenly the price tag is a little difficult to justify. You don't get leather seats – they're fabric – and there aren't even cup holders. The bits and buttons inside have noticeable free-play as well. Overall, it is very frugal – and it has no relation to those men who have eyes for glamour. Perhaps that is why it is cheap. With a modest budget from N1.250m, you can drive it home. Its distributors hate the word cheap especially when it is used to describe their product.
“We are not saying it is cheaper. What we are saying is that you get more than you pay for. We have the most affordable saloon car in Nigeria which is the Geely CK2, the normal question people will ask is, has it got A/C, power steering, has it got all the other options in other cars? We have them in this car at the same price. You don't have to sit back and say I have to order alloy wheels, they come with it. It comes with keyless entry, it comes with remote control; these are options which a lot of our competitors have.”
In spite of these claims, the vehicle itself makes no effort to pretend that it has the quality to rival Toyota or any other Japanese manufacturer. It however comes with ABS, EBD Air conditioner, CD players, MP3, and on a good day, it has regard for fuel efficiency, consuming as low as 6.5 litres for every 100 kilometres travel.
Its rear seats are thick foam cushions, just tucked in nicely – not secured. In fact, you could probably replace them with pillows if you wished. It would not be difficult. 
But at least it has a Toyota engine inside producing 94 hp at 6,000 rpm – sufficient to set the car in motion. Other than the fact that it is a 1.5-litre block, its performance still remains negligible.