Geely Otaka aka Geely CK

Earlier this month spotted this 2005 Geely Otaka which is a China-made compact car.

Geely Otaka is what it was sold as in Russia. Internationally it is known as the Geely CK.

I've no idea what Otaka means and in which language.

Daewoo-designed and licensed, the 2005 Geely Otaka (Geely CK) has a 1.5 L engine which is a Toyota Motor Corporation design, also licensed. It produces 94 hp (70 kW) at 6000 rpm, according to wikipedia.

The Geely Otaka for the Russian market was manufactured somewhere in Siberia in 2006-08.

Internationally, Geely CK sales were hampered by the very negative press that it got involving poor performance in crash tests. 

However, in Russia, it has since become something of a hit on the used car market as it offers a very low-cost means of transportation and is not unreliable as far as the engine and mechanicals go, and in any case cheap to repair. 

The body however fares less well with rust problems and structural defects reported.

The Geely CK was upgraded to become the Geely CK 2 and is now sold under the Gleagle brand apparently.

I like the headlight units, especially the yellow turn signals. They look like you broke a couple of raw eggs and the yokes and whites are sloshing about in a glass bowl. But I like it.

And an out of focus photo.

Also of note is that, if wikipedia is to be believed, the Geely CK holds the distinction of being the first Chinese automobile ever displayed at an American auto show, although it was only shown to the press and not the general public. Geely had planned to begin selling the model in Puerto Rico in 2007 on the way to beginning sales in Mainland America the next year. However, the plans were halted due to poor crash test results.

Geely Otaka / CK press photos of the yesteryear.

These press photos show that the car looks good. 

Certainly, not worse than other contemporary (and even present-day) compact cars. And, as I said, I like the headlight assemblies in particular.

 

 The interior... probably in the top-level trim, of which there were three: Basic, Comfort and Impress.

Real-life interior photos borrowed from here - 2007 Geely Otaka review (in Russian).

Press photo credit: Geely Automotive.