Turbocharging is a thing for Geely, which explains why its first three models in the Philippines – the Coolray, Azkarra, and Okavango – all come with forced induction. For those who feel a little let down that its latest Emgrand sedan missed that train, the automaker has released images of the more athletic Binrui Cool compact sedan.
That’s for the Chinese market, of course. The Binrui Cool builds on the success of the standard Binrui, which logged sales of 83,548 units in 2019, a year after it premiered in the mainland. Compared to the Emgrand’s more mature appearance, the Binrui Cool adopts a more aggressive-looking fastback design.
What the new model does share with the Emgrand and the Coolray is Geely’s B-segment Modular Architecture (BMA) platform. Geely says that this allows all vehicles underpinned by it to share up to 70 percent of their parts with each other, shortening the time needed to test components.
It adopts the fastback silhouette used by the standard Binrui
As far as appearances go, the Binrui Cool has a more youthful vibe. It adopts a new design philosophy called ‘Racing Storm’ that’s in line with its target demographic of young customers.
The LED headlamps surround a sleeker grille, with orange accents on the lower intake matching the brightly colored brake calipers behind blacked-out 17-inch alloy wheels. Layered character lines lead to slim tail lamps and carbon fiber accents at the rear, including those on the spoiler and rear diffuser surrounding the twin exhaust tips.
The seats on the Binrui Cool are sporty yet supportive
A black and green color palette dominates the cabin, accompanied by touches of orange. Inverse-arc racing seats draped in polyurethane and suede are specially designed to match the contour of the human back for full support.
More sporty touches include the flat-bottomed steering wheel, carbon fiber pattern on the center console, and a racing electronic gearshift lever. Drivers take command of a 10.25-inch LCD instrument panel, while a 12.3-inch touchscreen head unit handles communications, infotainment, and navigation.
Customers can expect digital displays for both instrumentation and infotainment
Under the hood, the Binrui Cool packs a new 1.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine rated at 181 horsepower and 235 Nm of torque, figures that easily rival those on the eleventh-generation Honda Civic. Power is routed to the front wheels through a 7-speed wet-type dual clutch automatic gearbox.
Geely is targeting to launch the Binrui Cool in its home market in the first half of 2022, with a starting price of 79,800 RMB (Php 656,344). Do you think this would be a good follow-up to the more mature Emgrand for Filipino customers?
See more upcoming automotive releases at Philkotse.com.