18 MONTHS LATER FIRST EC7 CUSTOMERS STILL 100% STATISFIED
• Very first Geely EC7 customers still smiling
• Distances of up to 45 000 covered in just 18 months
• Value for money, economy and trouble-free ownership praised
What do an aircraft engineer, a technician, a teacher and a retired couple that are all living a happy life with a broad smile every day, have in common? In this case they all drive the exciting Geely EC7 sedan, which was launched in South Africa last year.
An independent survey conducted by Outlook Africa revealed that each of the owners we spoke to, was extremely happy with their purchase. Comments such as “outstanding value for money” and “the best car we could have bought” were part of each of the interviews conducted by phone.
The Geely Emgrand EC7 was launched in May 2013 as the luxury division of Geely. The EC7 is a high-quality luxury sedan with high spec as part of a vision to establish a new range for the discerning buyer, but at an affordable price. The EC7 starts at a surprisingly low R164 990 for the Luxury and R174 990 for the Executive version, offering buyers outstanding value for money.
Travelling distances of only 7 000 kilometres to nearly 45 000 from May last year to September 2014, each and every customer we spoke to expressed 100% satisfaction with their choice of daily transport.
Quintin Morris, an instrument technician at South African Airways in Kempton Park in Gauteng, uses his Geely EC7 Luxury for his daily commute between Pretoria and the East Rand.
“My car is approaching its 45 000 km service date soon, and apart from a blown headlight, I have never had any problems with my EC7.” Coming from a man who earns his living by working in the high tech world of aviation equipment, this is a very positive eulogy.
“A colleague of mine followed my example and bought the Executive model, and apart from an extra side airbag, electronic niceties such as traction control and electric adjustment of the driver’s seat, the only visible difference is the sunroof. I am extremely happy with my car. The 1800cc engine is more than adequate, not to mention the high levels of standard equipment.”
This was echoed by James Enslin from Sasolburg, who uses his car mainly on the open road at speeds of “somewhere between 120 and 130” to stay out of trouble.
“I get around 14 kilometres to the litre, which is outstanding for a 1.8 at those speeds. I used to drive a Volvo (and many other cars), and the Geely does not shy away from any of them. The build quality is extremely good, and the engine is perfect,” says this mechanical fitter with 33 years experience at Sasol.
“After 9 700 km the car is still as good as the day I bought it over a year ago,” he says.
Mr William Maluleka, a teacher from Germiston, says overall his experience is “so far, so good”.
“The EC7 offers more equipment than I expected, so I am very happy. It really is a very nice car with excellent quality. After 19 000 km the fuel consumption is quite reasonable – not bad for a 1.8 engine; not bad at all.”
Maluleka regularly travels to Giyani in Limpopo, covering the distance of well over 520 km on a single tank. “And then I still have enough petrol to drive around.”
In the Western Cape, Mrs Barbara Millward believes she was the very first customer in the province – “and probably the whole country” – to receive her EC7 Lux. “Apart from the car being just absolutely perfect, the after-sales service I receive from Geely Goodwood is fantastic. Although I would have preferred an automatic transmission, the car drives easily and without any effort whatsoever. We only drive around town and according to my husband get around 13km/litre, but we are planning to take on the open road to Mossel Bay or Port Owen soon. I am sure we will again be surprised by the quality, feel and brilliant performance.”
Quintin Morris also praised the service he receives from Geely in Gezina, where he bought his car in May last year. “Maybe I was the first owner…”
The Geely EC7 is available at all Geely dealerships and distributors in all nine provinces in South Africa, as well as in Namibia and most of South Africa’s neighbouring countries.
