The $7K Sports Car: Geely's Beauty Leopard Goes to Europe

The term "low-priced sports car" has been an oxymoron for a long time.

Now Geely of China is preparing to offer its Beauty Leopard to European buyers as early as 2008 — and to sell it at low prices people in the West are not accustomed to paying for a performance car.

Geely Automobile is China's largest private carmaker. The Beauty Leopard was introduced in late 2003 in China as that country's first homemade sports car. It comes with a choice of 1.3- or 1.5-liter engines and has a five-speed manual or automatic transmission developed by Geely. Top speed is 180 mph. Admittedly, those numbers lag behind the European sports-car competition, but Geely is betting the Beauty Leopard is technologically up-to-date enough to reassure those who are concerned about the safety and reliability of a Chinese car.

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dumpsty - 7/25/2006 12:56:59 PM

+1 Boost

Great now Geely is making an old Tiburon.

JUGNU - 7/25/2006 1:00:30 PM

+1 Boost

Great,this means China is in the game now.
And after seeing the huge success stories of JAPAN and KOREA, we can expect it to be the next big thing.Next Big seller.

JUGNU

kart1 - 7/25/2006 1:28:45 PM

+1 Boost

Yeah, China can produce a lot of things and produce it cheaply. My only concern is whether the thing is going to work, I mean do you really want to be going 180 mph in a car that cost $7000 and was "Made in China" (No matter how up to date it is $7000 is too cheap for a fast sports car). The Koreans and Japanese were more original than these Chinese manufacturers here. Wasn't Toyota suing one of them for copying their "T". And this does look like the 90's Tiburon with the JDM Honda Integra headlights, the least they could have done is copy the Corvette the car is planning to go 180mph.

PlanoA4 - 7/25/2006 3:20:09 PM

+2 Boost

kart1- 180 mph in a Geely? LOL at $7k you will be lucky if it hits 100.

Rupert - 7/25/2006 5:26:22 PM

+1 Boost

i think 180 must be a typo, with a 1.5? no way. probs 108.

JUGNU - 7/25/2006 5:54:56 PM

+1 Boost

Looks like the Pontiac G5 Coupe.

JUGNU

kart1 - 7/26/2006 12:07:20 AM

+1 Boost

Actually at $7k I would actually be afraid to take it on the freeway.

ElSparquito - 7/26/2006 7:47:28 AM

+1 Boost

When trying to introduce a car like this in today's market at that price point, one has to wonder what corners they cut? The design team was free - looks like a Paseo/Tiburon mutt with JDM Integra eyes. 180 MPH??? - the C5 Z06 topped out at less than that (tranny gearing). With a 1.5L, small tires, and no sense aerodynamics - how could they even suggest that top speed? Maybe 180 KPH (112 MPH)?

Neverfollow - 7/26/2006 12:17:34 PM

+1 Boost

Who would like to sign up to be the top speed test driver for this thing? 180mph? In what wind tunnel did they come up with that number? Was it bolted to the floor? Look at the nose of that thing. Can you say aerodynamic lift? Did they also find some unused Honda F1 engines from the 80's somewhere? That's about the only 1.5L engine that could push a car that hard that I know of.

Carboy - 7/26/2006 1:48:59 PM

+1 Boost

No, You'll be lucky if it hits 70-80

00JT - 7/27/2006 4:50:59 AM

+1 Boost

Looks like a typical car from the late 90's. Doesn't look very well built :(

rakamoo - 8/2/2006 11:02:43 AM

+1 Boost

You'll be lucky if it doesn't break down on the drive from the dealership to your house. You get what you pay for!

rakamoo - 8/2/2006 11:04:20 AM

+1 Boost

They only one calling this a "beauty" is Geely. What kind of Chinese name is Geely anyway? I thought that chinese names were monosyllabic names that sound like dishes breaking - ting, chang, wang, bong?

ghopkin3 - 7/25/2008 1:43:31 PM

+1 Boost

It's actually 180 km/h...autospies got it wrong
www.geelymetop.com/c61.htm