The Geely E5 EM-I
Geely entered South Africa in 2007, however they had been passed by 2009.
I’ve a private story about these outdated Geely’s that in all probability tells you why.
My brother-in-law owned an outdated Geely CK 1.3 GT. On a brief journey from Vereeniging to Johannesburg, I seen him pull over to the aspect of the street. Naturally, I circled and went to see what was fallacious.
Nicely, it was only a flat tyre, but it surely was odd. It virtually appeared like one thing was slicing by the wheel as an alternative of a nail going into the tyre.
We modified it, however the automotive wasn’t in good condition. For starters, the spare wheel was additionally barely flat and the entrance fender was hanging off barely and never defending the tyre.
However we’re not panelbeaters, so we simply left the fender to hold and tried to drive the automobile to the closest storage to fill some air into the flat tyre.
Again on the street for about two minutes and I seen my brother-in-law and that purple Geely stationary on the yellow line but once more.
I couldn’t imagine that one thing else can be fallacious, however the brand new tyre had met the identical destiny as its predecessor. It was reduce and appeared precisely just like the earlier tyre.
The one factor that made sense was that the fender which was hanging was slicing by the tyre when he was driving, even when it was at 20km/hour.
We ended up ready for a flatbed for 2 hours and simply carting the automobile dwelling, however the expertise left a barely bitter style in my mouth for Geely.
South Africans don’t fall for gimmicks. Whether or not low-cost or costly, they need bang for his or her buck and Geely simply wasn’t that. It’s why their first stint didn’t last more than two years.
However in November 2025, they made a particularly robust comeback releasing two fashions: the E5 EM-I and the E5, with the previous being a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and the latter being a full electrical automobile.
I had the E5 EM-I on check for per week and this automotive felt like a superb old style Manchester United comeback.
The truth is, the hole in high quality between what Geely produced 20 years in the past to what the E5 EM-I represented was the 2001 fixture between Tottenham Hotspur and United at White Hart Lane the place the Crimson Devils discovered themselves 3-0 down at halftime, however then turned the screw within the second half to ultimately triumph 5-3.
This automobile was Geely’s robust second half displaying. Identical to United threw the celebrities at Spurs in that second 45, Geely pulled out all of the stops with this automobile.
As a result of it’s a PHEV, it has an distinctive quantity of vary. The electrical motor mixed with the 1.5 litre naturally aspirated engine offers you a complete mixed vary of over 1000km.
It additionally delivers 233kW of energy and 387Nm of torque which is kind of spectacular. Nevertheless, it should be famous that the automotive doesn’t really feel so sure when tackling the scraped tarmac of the N3, however in any other case it does a unbelievable job of sustaining a cushty experience on easy roads.
The expertise and luxury of the Geely is what makes this comeback. There’s little or no compromise, like with most Chinese language autos on the within. It’s made for the driving force’s consolation, it has an enormous 15.4 inch infotainment display screen, comfy seats, ample house and over 33 storage compartments together with a hidden one within the boot.
All these driving figures, no vary nervousness and the consolation and expertise provided by Geely within the E5 EM-I make it very sensible and exceptionally stunning to drive.
The construct high quality additionally needs to be recommended. From delicate contact supplies to heavy outer metal, the automotive doesn’t really feel flimsy in any respect. It’s stable from entrance to again.
And since Geely now owns Volvo, it additionally advantages tremendously when it comes to security. It comes totally geared up with a sturdy structural security cell, 540-degree panoramic cameras, adaptive cruise management, lane-keeping help, and autonomous emergency braking.
As a result of degree of the comeback, it’s straightforward to imagine that Geely received’t simply be right here for one more quick innings.
It’s even simpler to foretell that primarily based on their pricing. The E5 EM-I is priced from R599 999 to R679 999 which makes it a really inexpensive PHEV, but it surely nonetheless holds its high quality for that value.
Now, I simply surprise the place the standard of their autos shall be in one other 10 years, due to how far they’ve come within the final 20.
