Learn Your Geometry: A New Brand, and a Car to Stick in Tesla's Craw

The ever busy Geely Auto Group unveiled both a car and a brand on Thursday, lifting the sheets off the first model sold under the Chinese auto giant’s Geometry brand — the Geometry A. Efficiency in naming seems to be part of Geely’s MO.

Positioned to capture low-priced electric vehicle buyers in China, Europe, and elsewhere, the all-electric brand’s first offering strives for “minimalistic elegance” … and big, big sales. Oh, and it comes in Standard Range and Long Range versions. Now, why does that sound familiar?

The Geometry A is believed to ride atop the same platform underpinning Volvo’s XC40 and Polestar’s upcoming 2. Geely’s smart that way, you see. Work with what you have, and build what you have to work with everything.

Standard Range sedans source their power from a 51.9 kWh battery pack, while Long Range models bump up the capacity by 10 kWh. On the relatively inaccurate NEDC cycle, Geely says the two variants can travel 410 km and 500 km, respectively, which works out to 255 miles and 310 miles. Sounds quite similar to the Model 3, doesn’t it? Of course, Americans can buy the Model 3, and there’s no word on The Geometry A making its way to these shores just yet.

In Europe and China, however, Tesla hopes to secure big volume. There’s a Gigafactory under construction in Shanghai as you read this, with the first Model 3 deliveries promised by the end of the year. Volkswagen no doubt has its eye on this Geely development, as well.

As affordability is the name of the game here, the Geometry A is a single-motor car, with that electric unit making 161 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. Zero-62 mph passes in 8.8 seconds, Geely claims. The car excels in slipperiness, too, with a drag coefficient of 0.237. As for price, that’s a key selling point. Before incentives, the base Geometry A’s price translates into $31,250.

Loftier, Long Range models top the $37,000 marker. After applying Chinese-market subsidies, a buyer can get a base sedan for $22,321. (There are three configurations for both variants.)

Geely took a moment to boast on Thursday.

“It’s the safest, best-looking, and most avant-garde pure electric model in its market segment and setting a new benchmark for A-segment pure electric sedans with its comprehensive configuration,” the automaker said in a statement. “Geometry A has already received over 27,000 orders, 18,000 of which are from overseas customers in countries such as Singapore, Norway, France, etc. With the official launch of Geometry A, global A-segment pure electric vehicle customers no longer to have to settle for less, their ‘A’ option has arrived. The new era of pure electric vehicles is here.”

The automaker clearly has a global market in mind. The Geometry A comes equipped with numerous driver-assist features, a roof weight-bearing capacity that surpasses IIHS standards, and a speed limiter to satisfy European lawmakers.

With the Geometry A as a starting point, Geely says its new brand will expand to 10 models by 2025, saturating the market. For Tesla and VW, this likely comes as ominous news.

[Images: Geely]