Union Motors has announced Geely Auto’s GC9 vehicle won the coveted 2016 ‘China Car of the Year’ award – ahead of its plans to market the brand in the Middle East with a new showroom in Abu Dhabi.
The Geely GC9 was first unveiled at Beijing’s Water Cube in December 2014, and since then the vehicle has received wide recognition for its design and power, selling 1,000 units with in just 77 minutes in a limited-edition online launch in April 2015, and outselling many of its competitors.
A media judging panellist noted: “By working with international talent, Geely Auto is producing increasingly competitive cars. The GC9 is the first Chinese branded vehicle to enter into the China Car of the Year competition, and it left a strong impression in terms of design, engineering and handling.”
Union Motors partnered with Geely Automobile Holdings in November 2014 to market their vehicles in the UAE, and the GC9 will be launched into the market by mid-March in 2.4l and 3.5l variants.
The 400m2 showroom in the Mussafah Area of Abu Dhabi builds upon an existing presence in Dubai.
Raymond Ma, GM at Union Motors, noted: “The UAE is a multi-cultured country with people coming from all walks of life, and we saw the need for reasonably priced, economical yet high performing vehicles and hence the partnership with Geely Motors.”
Geely launched its auto manufacturing business in 1997 and is today one of China’s top 10 automotive manufacturers and a Fortune Global 500.
