Geely Vision X1
The Vision X1 (Chinese name: Yuanjing X1) is a small hatchback/crossover version in the same style as the Geely Emgrand GS but smaller. It features Geely’s new corporate grille and gets a crossover-look thanks to its black plastic wheel arches and an elevated ride height giving it more ground clearance than a regular hatchback. Designed by Peter Horbury, the British chief of design for Volvo and Geely, the Vision X1 is not built on an entirely new platform, but is instead no more than a facelift of the Geely Panda, which was first launched in 2008.
It uses the same platform and same engine, but the design has been modernized and “crossover-ized”. The dimensions of the Vision X1 are 3.778/1.663/1.519mm with a wheelbase of 2.353mm. Power comes from a carry-over 1-liter 4-cylinder with 68hp and 88Nm of torque or a 1,3-liter 4-cylinder with 88hp and 110Nm, both mated to a 5MT or a 4AT. While its powertrain may not be state-of-the-art, Geely has done a great job at modernizing the interior, with its trendy dashboard, orange accents and a class-leading 11.6-inch screen on top of the center console, which controls just about anything, including airconditioning, navigation and radio. Even more impressive is the price point at which this is offered: prices start at 39.900 yuan and run up to 57.900 yuan (€ 5.200,-/US$ 5,800 to € 7.600,-/US$ 8,500), barely higher than its predecessor Panda used to cost. Its main rivals are the Haval H1 which is more of a crossover than a hatchback, the JAC Refine S2 which is a similar concept as the X1, and the Baojun 310, which is just a regular hatchback and slightly larger but falls into the same price range.
