GEELYEmgrand EC718 2009 - Present

　　The Chinese automaker Geely tried to create an upscale brand under its umbrella and launched the Embrand brand in 2009, together with its first product, the EC7.

　　Geely was new to this segment and didn’t know how to approach it. But it tried its best, hiring international suppliers both for vehicle parts and for the assembly lines. The result was known as the Emgrand EC7, but since the parent company was better known in some markets, it was also sold under the Geely marque. The 2009 EC7 was the model’s first generation, and it was both exported and assembled outside China in Russia, Pakistan, Uruguay, and Iran.

　　The automaker worked together with Mitsubishi when it developed the Emgrand EC7, but in terms of design, the result was nothing out of the ordinary. Its front fascia featured a high-mounted grille crossed by four horizontal slats, which were either black or chromed, depending on the version and options. The headlights were angular-shaped and slightly swept-back on the sides, sporting corner-mounted turn signals and projector-beam headlamps.

　　Depending on the version, the lower bumper sported an apron with a grille flanked by two scoops for fog lamps when fitted. From its profile, the EC7 sedan tried to look modern with a cab-rearward design despite being a front-wheel-driven vehicle. The sculptured creases on the door panels and the ascending belt line made it look sporty but not very aggressive. Finally, at the back, the deck was short, and corner-mounted taillights flanked the trunk lid.

　　Inside, the cabin was dominated by cheap plastic surfaces on the dashboard, door cards, and other areas. Still, the overall design was original, especially for the instrument cluster. There, Geely installed two large dials for the speedometer and rev counter that flanked a rectangular TFT display that showed data from the car’s onboard computer. Above it, in an elliptically-shaped LCD, the automaker added the fuel level indicator, the coolant temperature, and the door-closing status. Geely offered the Emgrand EC7 with different options, depending on the market.

　　Some customers could get the car with a GPS navigation system placed on the center stack, with an SD-card reader to play music or load maps. At the front, the automaker installed regular bucket seats with little to no side bolstering, made mostly for comfort, while in the back, a bench seat could accommodate two people for longer travels and three just for short jaunts.

　　Under the hood, Geely installed improved Mitsubishi gasoline engines to propel the vehicle. A 1.5-liter four-banger moved the base version, while the top-spec version came fitted with a 1.8-liter engine under the EC715 or the EC718 nameplate, respectively. Power was sent to the front wheels only via a standard five-speed manual transmission, while a CVT with manual override was available for the most potent version.