It takes a money to create a four-wheel car, but it takes a team of high-caliber to create such in a whole new level, giving it some class-leading features.
China automaker Geely is said to be that, claiming that they have a team "that knows the world."
The Geely Coolray is said to be the result of a global collaboration between teams of designers and engineers.
With studios in Shanghai, Sweden, California, Malaysia and the United Kingdom, Geely Design alone has nearly 1,000 designers and support staff spread around the world.
“Our design studio is like the United Nations—we have over 21 nationalities, and on a daily basis at our Shanghai studio, I hear Malay, Chinese, Swedish, French, German, and of course English conversations,” Head of Geely Design China Guy Burgoyne said.
From that pool of talent, Geely saw the emerging of the vehicle symbolizes the energy and charisma of its target audience: globally-orientated youth and young families.
“They appreciate design; they want design to be a focal point of their daily lives, and they want the car they drive to be an extension of their personality. What they don’t want, but what they’ve had to settle for so far, are bland, uninspired blobs on wheels with nondescript grey or black interiors”, Jamie Barrett, Lead Exterior Designer for the Coolray, said.
Barrett added that exudes a distinct character, while balancing fun and safety.
“We aim for our cars to have different themes based on a core style,” Barrett added.
Take the iconic Cosmos Grille for example – on the Coolray the rings are wider and deeper, and create a wide mask containing the grille and lights. Meanwhile, the lower bumpers have been sculpted to pass air around the car thereby improving fuel economy.
“The front is sculpted to have bold volumes that give off a strong 3D effect. The hood features a strong power bulge that narrows towards the front, focusing in on the Geely badge. The surfaces and curves feel rich and premium to give off a quality feel,” Barrett explained.
The satin chrome wing leads the eye over the car’s powerful front haunches expanding into the side profile before rising into the D-pillar. Boosting the Coolray’s sporting credentials are the carbon fiber elements on the front and rear bumpers, along with the rims, which together give the car its sporty stance and fun road presence.
The low-slung silhouette and speeding hood have been built to give the car its presence. Many of the elements of the design are inspired by the world of aviation. Where the roof shoots down at the rear it appears to be suspended over the D-pillar.
“This is inspired by aircraft wing stabilizers, to simulate cutting through the air with precision and create a floating sensation,” Barrett noted.
For the interiors, the aviation theme continues right down to the two side air vents, again inspired by jet engines. Coolray’s Interior Designer Mei Song said that the layout of the driving area adopts the design style of a cockpit, "expressed in a lighter and more dynamic way, bringing sheer driving pleasure to the driver.”
The Geely Coolray is fitted with a 10.25-inch floating control panel, which gives a vibrant feeling to the interior.
“The expansive cabin space was created using seamless layered architecture. For example, the horizontal theme extends from the instrument panel all the way to the door panel, making the visual look wider, " Song added.
In daytime, decorative dashboard panels display an orbiting planet-inspired pattern. As night rolls around, this switches to an echoing pattern which features a resemblance to the expanding front Cosmos Grille.
Complementing sporting vibe is the red dashboard and accenting on the seats and door inserts. “The red color used in the interior is optimized with the right levels of saturation and hue, just like the color of a vintage red wine. This gives an overall stylish and stimulating look and feel while avoiding the usual visual fatigue caused by bright red that can also affect driving safety,” Song elaborated.
Rounding out the fighter plane like cockpit is the ergonomic jet throttle-inspired shifter. Just like in a real fighter jet, this sends commands rapidly down a wire to the 7-speed dual clutch unit rather than by a mechanical connection.
In the Philippines, Sojitz G Auto Philippines, the latest official distributor for the Geely brand, offers three variants for the Coolray, such Comfort, Sport and Premium.
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