In October of last year, a tipster told us to check out the Geely Philippines website, particularly when it came to the placeholder of their upcoming vehicles. Although Geely removed the placeholder photos, at that time,
it indicated two upcoming vehicles
.
One of the vehicles indicated is the “SS11” and that turned out to be the
all-new Emgrand
which was launched in February of this year. Now, if Geely Philippines is using proper filenames on their website, it could mean that the “KX11” is coming as well.
The KX11 is the
Xingyue L
or now known by its international name, the Geely Manjaro. We’re pretty sure it’s short for “Kilimanjaro” which is a volcano in Tanzania. This happens to fit in nicely with the naming convention started with the Okavango which is a river delta also located in Africa (Bostwana).
However, according to Google, Manjaro could also mean “To Eat” in French much like Azkarra means “Quick” in Basque.
Enough of the language lesson.
A tipster sent in these photos which purportedly shows the Manjaro being ferried via carrier right here in the Philippines. According to him, they were snapped from the Batangas Port on the way to Manila (the conduction sticker on the Emgrand is visible). Sadly, the quality of these photos aren’t high-res, and it’s actually hard to make out the vehicle in question (the one on top), so it could very well be an automotive Rorschach test.
However, he continues that two other sources reveal that the Manjaro is slated for a launch within the next two months, and that a unit is already at Geely Makati undergoing verification and testing.
If it’s true and Geely is indeed bringing in the Manjaro to the local market, it’s the first model from the carmaker’s Star series to arrive locally.
The Xing or Star series rides on a CMA platform shared with the Volvo XC40. It’s destined to be their flagship SUV and comes with features such as a fully-digital instrument cluster and a 10-speaker Bose sound system. It’s also the first Geely model to receive advanced driver aids.
Its aesthetics, particularly the interior, also blends Eastern and Western influences down to the use of Chinese knots, “Cyberpunk Black” accents, and “Classical Bronze Verdigris Patina.”
If Geely Philippines does bring in the Manjaro, it could be the first model to be offered with a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine. The engine, also co-developed with Volvo makes either 238 horsepower and 380 Nm of torque, or 217 horsepower and 325 Nm of torque depending on the tune. This is then mated to either a 7-speed dual cutch or an 8-speed torque converter automatic.
Another possibility is that they could go the same route as the Okavango and with that, it’ll get a 190 horsepower 48-volt mild hybrid system. They could even decide to go head-to-head with the Tiggo 8 Pro and get a Plug-In Hybrid version. This variant makes 258 horsepower and 415 Nm of torque, while offering up to 80 kilometers of all electric range.
More importantly, the Manjaro is also the first Geely model to benefit from full firmware OTA which allows fundamental aspects of the vehicle, including safety, infotainment (hello CarPlay and Android Auto), power, chassis, autonomous drive, and connectivity to be upgraded over time.
Keyword: Is This Proof That Geely Philippines Next Vehicle Is The 2022 Manjaro SUV?