Geely is hoping to woo customers away from the award-winning Renault 5 and the upcoming Volkswagen ID Polo by pricing its new EX2 supermini from £20,990 when it arrives in the UK next month.
Known as the ‘Xingyuan’ at home in China, the Geely EX2 will go on sale in the UK at the start of August, where it will be available in three trim levels: Base-spec Pro pricing starts from £20,990, the mid-tier £23,490 Pro, and the flagship Ultra, which starts at £25,490.
The Pro comes with a 35kWh battery and a 78bhp motor producing up to 155 miles of range, placing it firmly in Honda Super N and Renault Twingo territory. The Max gets a 47kWh pack and a 114bhp motor, increasing range to 214 miles.
Nonetheless, this means it still falls short of the R5 and the ID Polo, which boast a respective range of 252 or 280 miles. The rival Hyundai Ioniq 3 outdoes both, courtesy of a 308-mile range.
Inside, the Geely IX5 comes with an 8.8-inch driver instrument binnacle and a 14.6-inch central touchscreen. All models come with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, plus keyless entry, keyless go, and LED headlights. An illuminated blue cityscape is also part of the interior trim on the black dashboard and door inserts.
The range-topper adds a two-tone exterior paint job, a 260-degree camera, heated seats and steering wheel, an electric boot, and a better sound system than lower-spec cars.
As Chinese carmakers continue developing an ‘in Europe, for Europe’ strategy as a way of appealing to more to European buyers, Geely has given the EX2 physical buttons on the steering wheel and on the centre console. It is also worth noting that while slightly bigger than the R5 at 4.1 metres long, the EX2 has a 375-litre boot, dwarfing the French car by around 50 litres.
The EX2 will be the third Geely model to go on sale here in the UK, alongside the all-electric EX5 and Starray plug-in hybrid (PHEV) SUVs. The Chinese automotive giant promises to introduce a portfolio of 10 UK models by 2029 and has set itself the target of achieving 100,000 sales the following year.
