The new Chinese electric SUV with an Australian influence
Yesterday at 09:33 PM
The Chinese-made 2025 Geely EX5 electric car will feature a unique suspension and safety system calibration intended to tailor it to Australian conditions.
Geely's first Australian-bound model in more than 15 years, the 2025 EX5, will feature suspension and advanced safety systems tuned to make the electric SUV better suited to local conditions, according to the brand.
The EX5 is set to launch next week with an expected starting price of about $49,000 before on-road costs but the Chinese car maker has been working "over the past 12 months" to adapt the Tesla Model Y rival to Australian roads.
Of particular interest was the EX5's behaviour over coarse-chip roads, as well as speed-bumps in inner-city environments and freeway undulations.
After tweaking the MacPherson independent front and multi-link rear suspension, Geely claims the EX5 now delivers "a fine-tuned suspensions that perfectly balances the needs of Australian drivers, refining the setup to be composed and sure-footed, without compromising comfort or driver control behind the wheel".
In addition to the handling characteristics, Geely also claims the advanced driver assistance systems have also been adjusted, though the exact changes are currently unknown.
"The Geely local and head office product teams have reviewed and benchmarked key systems such as lane-keep assist, traffic sign information recognition, and driver monitoring," said a Geely media release published today.
However, forthcoming independent road tests of the EX5 will reveal whether the Geely team has succeeded in making the new electric car better suited to Australian conditions.
Drive is due to test the EX5 on local roads for the first time next week.
Geely has also opened pre-orders for the EX5, with early adopters scoring complimentary three years of servicing, and free DC fast charging (to a sum of 1000kWh) in the first year of ownership.
With local cars equipped with a 60.2kWh battery, that would equate to around 16.5 full charges of the battery for free, or around 7140 kilometres of travel in the entry-level Complete variant, based on lab testing.
Buyers can also opt for the high-spec Inspire, but claimed range drops from 430km per charge to 410km due to differences in specification.
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