Manufacturer Geely Class Subcompact car (B) | Production 2005–present Body style 4-door sedan | |
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Also called Geely Otaka (Russia)
Geely Echo (Turkey)
Gleagle CK (China) Assembly Montevideo, Uruguay (Nordex)
Novouralsk, Russia (Amur, 2007–2008) | ||
The Geely CK is a 4-door, 5-seater subcompact sedan produced by the Chinese manufacturer Geely since May 2005. The CK's Chinese name, Ziyoujian, stands for "Freedom Ship" or "Free Cruiser". It was sold as the Geely Otaka on the Russian market in 2007-2008. Nowadays the car is sold as the Gleagle CK in the Chinese domestic market, part of Geely's recent proliferation of brands
Overview
The CK holds the distinction of being the first Chinese automobile ever displayed at an American auto show, although it was only shown to the press and not the general public. Geely had planned to begin selling the model in Puerto Rico in 2007 on the way to beginning sales in Mainland America the next year. However, since Geely failed the IIHS and NHTSA safety tests, plans are currently halted. The CK was also shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2005 along with four other Geely models.
At least 1,500 Geely CKs were shipped to Cuba in 2009, where they would replace some of the many Lada 2105s used by government officials and police. The car is thus becoming a common sight in Cuba. Displacing the old Russian-made Ladas, it is driven by government officials and police and also available to rental car fleets. The specification includes power windows and air conditioning. Still, they have a reputation for being unreliable and many drivers thus prefer the older, Russian-built vehicles.
The CK is based on a South Korean design by Daewoo, Tower Metal, Wooshin Systems, and CES, which Geely licensed. Its 1.5 L engine is a Toyota Motor Corporation design, also licensed. It produces 94 hp (70 kW) at 6000 rpm. The 4 speed automatic transmission is built in China, the first to be manufactured there. In 2008, the facelifted CK II was released, with modified headlights and bumpers. The pre-facelift model resembles a W220 S-Class Mercedes-Benz, while the facelift resembles a W203 C-Class.
In the first car safety crash test results issued by the Latin New Car Assessment Programme, the CK versions without airbags was rated with zero out of four stars for adult occupants, and two out of four stars for child occupant. The press release cited: "Protection for the driver poor for most body regions. Significant collapse of the body shell during test."
The CK Work, powered by a 1.3 L (1342 cc) engine producing 85 PS (63 kW), is sold in Colombia for use as a taxi.