Geely KingKong let loose on unsuspecting Chinese public
From the desk of our Chinese affiliate comes word that Geely has unveiled the KingKong, a compact sedan with apparently mighty aspirations. The newest Geely model will be available with 1.5L, 1.6L and 1.8L DOHC, 16-valve engines, all of which were developed in-house by Geely and meet European emissions standards. The KingKong will be available in Sky Blue, Silk Silver, Snow Mountain White and, of course, Chinese Red.
The rather ironic name has two meanings in the car's native tongue. Taken literally in Chinese it means "steel concrete" but could also be interpreted as "strong" because of its connection with Hollywood's most famous giant gorilla. In our own play money the KingKong would cost around $8,350. Around Autoblog Towers, at least one staffer thinks that KingKong has a certain Aura (*cough*) about it... what do you think?
Check out a full gallery of KingKong pics after the jump...
[Source: Autoblog Chinese]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
IK 4:17PM (6/04/2006)
Not bad, not bad at all.
However, I think Ssangyong's Rexton is a better chinese product.
Why is everything in the centre?
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Albert 4:18PM (6/04/2006)
They still have a long way to go if they want to sell Cheerys in the US. Huge panal gaps, uneven bumper/body seams, misaligned doors, misaligned interier. And still unknown safety performance(Landwind SUV anyone?).
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Paul 4:58PM (5/23/2008)
Yeah, you'd think they would have caught that uneven door line before releasing these press photos....if they...are press photos anyways.
You know how in Men In Black the bug guys wear human skins? This looks like a late model Toyota Corolla (in house motor designs my ass!) wearing Opel/Saturn Astra sheet metal...its no wonder the uneven paneling is so numerous! Its like looking at a Cadillac Escalade! Honestly though, its not a bad attempt for an $8000 msrp car. And I just can't get over the Corolla-like high belt-line and short front and rear ends, and door panels. The KingKong's design should flatter GM and Toyota.
Sugar. Water. Now!
I do think there is a lot of good design to be coming out of China in the future. All it will take is for their designers to use more clay modeling and better computerized scaling. I just hope Chinese design trends don't go the way of the German and American design houses...trying to copy the Japanese...and the Swedish. But what do I know. I'd like to see cars from China to be emotional and well thought out, and most definitely not rushed Their designs need to be instant classics and grow on you instead of satisfying current trends. Just take it slow, spend an entire year designing your flagship, make sure every nut and bolt is precisely placed, and let it set sail. Don't rush the US market. Reserve design from cost-cutting. Build the vehicles in their market place. Build using recycled/recyclable/ or carbon-neutral products. Also, Chinese auto-makers should also focus on developing major post-petrol powertrains before even thinking about stepping foot on American soil. Paint and plastics also need to be lead-free. Be different from the Koreans and the Japanese. Think like the Swedish.
Also, in reply to the poster who mentioned the lights: They could be better laid-out and better prisimed not to see the lamp holes, but my Volvo 740 has more light bulbs, two brake, two amber, two reverse, two fogs, and four running lights. I like it because I rarely have to change bulbs.
I think the KingKong would look sick with dubs...but that may necessitate some alterations to the wheel wells.
IK 4:19PM (6/04/2006)
my bad, Ssangyong is korean, not chinese.
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Mal Fuller 4:22PM (6/04/2006)
From Red Chinese to Chinese Red. A Communist propaganda spin if I ever heard one!
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gbh 4:25PM (6/04/2006)
Decently integrated ripoff of chunks of about 4 or 5 different cars. (Corolla, Chyrsler, skosh of Buick, pinch of Malibu...)
Uninspired, but at least not insipid. You should get from something at least that nice looking from a big2 manufacturer for under 10K.
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Martin 4:38PM (6/04/2006)
It does look sort of like the Saturn Aura. The interior is kinda funky-looking though...
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Howard Kerr 4:44PM (6/04/2006)
IF, GM were to build a Corolla-sized Malibu...this is what it would look like. It has styling "bits" taken from the Malibu, G6, and what a small Buick would use.
Since Buick is supposedly such a hot car in China, this SHOULD sell in large numbers.
Two questions, aren't gorillas, and by extension King Kong black or dark brown? And can they find an UGLIER fabric for the seats?
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Richard Warren 4:45PM (6/04/2006)
Not bad, can't say I like the "happy" front end, from a down low shot it looks prety good, head on, hmmm.
I don't care for the center stack with speedometer in any car.
Other than that a nice effort.
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Barry 4:58PM (6/04/2006)
That is amazing! The car's front and rear are a complete knock off of the Saturn Aura!
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zeroSignal 5:04PM (6/04/2006)
Right.. so after the oddly-named S-class-Toyota-Corolla(euro) combination, we've got this, which has a hint of Opel Vectra & Tigra, Honda Accord (Acura something-or-other to you in the US, I think TSX) and Dacia Logan.
Interesting.
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Art 5:05PM (6/04/2006)
wow, that doesn't look like EVERY other car to come from japan/korea...
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gord 5:06PM (6/04/2006)
other than being ugly, its ugly.
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josh 5:21PM (6/04/2006)
I didn't think there could be a step down from Ssangyong, Kia and Tata, but this sure is it.
It's the first automobile whose press photos have uneven paint on the driver's door. Nice work folks.
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Tom Design 5:33PM (6/04/2006)
Not a bad first design. Has heavy styling cues from the current Impala, especially in the rear and side profiles.
The interior looks marginal, and everyone knows you don't mix beige and grey so liberally. It is a vast improvement over the first Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Suzuki and Subaru initial designs. The proportions are a little upright, and stunted at the front/rear, but that is the "look" right now. Good for them. They may not need a design house in CA to salvage their low design creativity, and bad taste like the Japanese.
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joe 6:47PM (6/04/2006)
Doesn't look too bad but the interior does remind me of a Saturn. For the $8k price tag, it's a pretty good bargain. What it needs to sell in N. America: excellent safety ratings, 10-yr warranty, bigger engines (diesel maybe?), and bigger wheels. With all those improvements, it has a pretty good chance beating the Koreans and some low-end demostics.
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Anders 7:24PM (6/04/2006)
Now, if only it could accommodate something bigger than 13 inch wheels...
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J 7:46PM (6/04/2006)
wow, a COMPLETE Opel Vectra/Saturn Aura knockoff. when will chinese companies put out something original? this car is without a doubt the automotive equivalent of a payless shoe source copy of a nike or adidas shoe.
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Chris 8:40PM (6/04/2006)
LOL. how many rear lights do you need?
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Howard Kerr 9:35PM (6/04/2006)
The first time around I only glanced at the interior pix and didn't see the center mounted instrument binnacle. I think this "feature" is one of the worst things to hit modern cars.
That said, I don't care for the interior at all. As said before, beige and grey/charcoal don't mix well and the addition of the metallic finish to the center stack, while classy, is cancelled out by the cheap look to the center console and gearshift knob.
Yeah, I also agree with the poster who said the lights are WAYYY overdone, both headlights and tailights. And the badge(?) in the center of the grille opening is big enough to be a center headlight.
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