2005 Geely Chengbao Concept

The 2005 Geely Chengbao was a concept car unveiled at the 2005 Shanghai Auto Show, designed to showcase Geely’s vision for a sporty and futuristic vehicle. The name "Chengbao" means "castle" in Chinese, which hints at its bold and imposing design.

The Chengbao’s most striking feature was its rounded dome-shaped roof, which was a departure from traditional car shapes. The car had a long bonnet, wide wheel arches, and large wheels positioned at the far corners, giving it a sporty and aggressive look. It was painted in a blue-white color scheme, adding to its unique appearance. The concept car also featured black rubber-like material for the grille and air ducts, which gave it a sleek, modern touch.

Although the renderings showed the car with larger wheels, the actual concept at the show had smaller, shinier alloys. The Geely logo on the bonnet and the center-mounted exhaust pipe added to its sporty feel. A unique feature of the Chengbao was its glass cabin that was supposed to adjust its tint based on sunlight, though this feature was never demonstrated as the concept car didn’t have an interior.

Geely didn’t provide much information on the Chengbao’s engine or performance, and it lacked a real engine altogether. The company mentioned that the car was designed with SUV-like functions, such as adaptability to different weather and terrain, but there were no details on how this would work in practice.

The Chengbao concept didn’t lead to any production models, and its bold design elements never appeared in any of Geely’s later cars. However, since Geely now owns Lotus, there’s potential for them to create a roadster based on the Lotus Elise platform in the future. While the Chengbao itself never reached production, it marked an ambitious and creative attempt to design a small, sporty vehicle for urban environments.

Images: ChinaCarHistory.com