How Geely designed the Starray EM-i in under four months

The Starray EM-i – the PHEV version of the all-electric EX5 – is Geely’s latest model planned for the UK. While the car shares similarities with its BEV sibling, Geely is making a concerted effort to give BEV, ICE and PHEV models distinct design DNAs. 

“There is a family feeling, but we don't want to do the Russian doll process like some of the brands do," says Flavien Dachet, the design director at Geely Shanghai. "Each lineup has its own identity and then each car has its own identity within the lineup. The Starrary EM-i doors were carried over from the EX5 and the interior is 60% carry over. The front end is entirely new and the entire design process was done in three and a half months. It’s process timing we’ve never heard of in Europe but the way we work here is very intense and we have a lot of parallel working.” 

Processes include full scale clay modelling as well as digital iterations, and Datchet suggests that the studio boasts "probably the fastest clay team in the world, they work two shifts per day. We scan the model every two days, go back to digital, check the engineering feasibility and make sure that everything is on track, so it’s a combination of analogue and digital.” 

The team leveraged its fast paced processes to achieve three key objectives: improve range; demonstrate safety; and deliver high-quality CMF. “With the front end, where you would normally find a large grille on most PHEVs, we decided to close the front face to optimise cooling in the lower area and to optimise aerodynamics,” Dachet explains. 

“This helps make the front end not only look better but it’s also a lot more efficient, so this is a way design can help to extend the range in a very natural way.” Collaboration between design and engineering was integral with more than 150 hours of wind tunnel testing to decide the best aerodynamic profile. Ultimately, the team was able to achieve a drag coefficient of 0.288Cd. 

“We could have made the entire car soft, very aerodynamic and added sharp corners on the rear which would have been the most optimal aerodynamic shape but that was not the feeling that we wanted,” Dachet says. The final exterior design allowed for an appropriate compromise between interior space and aerodynamic performance. 

Design is not just about styling. We see design as something that has duty towards the customers

“This kind of design is a reflection of what we want to do with Geely design," Datchet continues, "which is a combination of engineering and styling together. We want the art and science to merge into one, to find the right solutions for the issues and the concerns that some of our customers have.”

While the front end design contributed to the first objective — improving range — it was also used as a way to improve safety. “We’ve divided the headlights, so at the top we have this DRL design with an iconic graphic that gives a very aggressive and focused eye expression. We’ve also moved the main headlamp module into the bumper. So the split lamp design, again, not only does it look cool, but it helps to reduce glare for oncoming drivers.” 

Dachet notes there was also a focus on reducing driver distraction, "so rather than going fully digital, we maintained some analogue controls on the console and steering wheel," he explains. "We have what we call 'digital clarity' with a 15.4-inch display in the centre of the IP combined with a 10.2-inch LCD cluster, which provides only the vital information for driving. On top of that, we have a 13.8-inch wide HUD and this is what we call the golden triangle of visibility.”

Lastly, Dachet and he team pay close attention to CMF to ensure the car "doesn’t look plastic" in his words. "We want modern cars to have a premium, high-quality material finish. Particularly in this price range, you see a lot of cars that have some materials that look very plastic. So we wanted to make sure that the paint finish, glossiness and the chrome quality reflects something premium.”

As Geely further expands into international markets, the design team is tasked with adapting existing models to meet overseas regulations and creating new products which can take anywhere up to 12 months when designing something from scratch. “If I have to be honest, Starray EM-i was not designed with the global market in mind at first, it was targeted at the Chinese market,” Dachet confesses. 

“There are some minor design modifications for other markets, however, we feel that the design is neutral enough to appeal to all kinds of markets and pure enough to be adaptable. For example, the front DRL was designed for China, however for European regulations the middle portion cannot be illuminated. There’s a piece of silver trim there instead.”

Regardless of regional variations, the Starray EM-i represents the design team’s philosophy. “Something that is really fundamental to Geely design is not just how we create the cars, but why we make certain design decisions to make a product more relevant and competitive.” Dachet says. 

“Geely believes that design is not just about styling. We see design as something that has duty towards the customers. We want the design to help the customer relieve anxiety and stress. It can also help to improve comfort and safety and sometimes make very complex technology appear very intuitive and very human.”