After unveiling the Preface Concept at the Shanghai Auto Show last year, followed by a pretty ambitious advertisement spot highlighting the car’s German sport sedan-rivalling handling prowess, Geely has now officially launched the CMA-based sedan as the Xing Rui in China.
The Geely Xing Rui is billed as a model under the Geely 4.0 Era – the brand’s fourth-generation of models that are based on modular architectures, featuring advanced connectivity, intelligence, and quality that include safety as a standard.
But first up, the name – which Geely says “means everything in China”. Xing means star in chinese, while Rui roughly translates to a good omen for the future.
The Xing Rui is the brand’s second CMA-based model after the Xing Yue coupe SUV, which Geely says has allowed the design team to take the Preface from concept to production form within a short time frame. To date, the CMA platform is already underpinning nearly 700,000 cars on the road across the wider Geely Group, including the Volvo XC40, and Lynk & Co 03.
In production form, the new Xing Rui pretty much remains truthful to the stunning exterior design seen on the concept car, with highlights include an evolved Expanding Cosmos grille, wider body and track, along with larger alloy wheels for an enhanced road presence.
The minimalist philosophy in the interior of the concept is also brought over into production form, though a lot less concept car-like, and without the cool B-pillar-less scissor doors for obvious reasons. The dashboard architecture was brought over from the concept with slight changes to the material choices, and the free-standing digital instrument cluster is replaced by a binnacle instead, perhaps for better legibility under direct sunlight.
The use of a dual-colour upholstery and intricate topstitching on the door cards and dashboard adds to premium image of the D-segment sedan. Geely says that the CMA platform allowed its engineers to focus on interior space, as well as noise, vibration and harshness (NVH), with special attention paid to increase the legroom and overall comfort of the rear passengers.
Under the hood of the all-new Xing Rui is a two-litre turbocharged engine, mated to a seven-speed dual clutch gearbox that is used throughout the entire Geely family. No performance figures have been provided as of yet, but with an advertisement singling out the German sport sedans, we’re hoping that it’ll be something quite exciting!
Other highlights on the Geely Xing Rui include a “highly intelligent super brain connected to the cloud”, i.e. a connected infotainment system, that is able to update itself over-the-air (OTA), which enables the model to “continuously evolve and never become outdated”.
With rumours suggesting that the Preface Concept – and now the Xing Rui – might become the next Proton Perdana, would you be placing an order when it makes its way onto our shores?
GALLERY
