Geely Panda minicar with Eagle logo to sell in Sept.

Shanghai, July 3 (Gasgoo.com) Geely Auto recently announced that its all-new Panda model will carry the new "Geely Eagle" logo when the mini-car goes on sales in September. Last week, Geely Auto began to set up an independent sales network, according to sina.com.cn. The Panda minicar of the Geely Eagle series will sell for 40,000 yuan ($5,832), a low price to rival the popular Chery QQ and other cheap mini-cars in China.

The Panda mini-car is the first all-new model after Geely Auto recent strategic transition and also the first "Geely Eagle"-labeled model, said Liu Jinliang, general manager of Geely's sales company. It marks the debut of the "Geely Eagle" series, which will be expanded each year with the growth of Geely Auto, China's largest privately owned automaker.

Because new models will be added to the Eagle lineup in the years ahead, Geely Auto has started to build a special sales network and the Panda car will be the first model for sale via this network in September. The current 300 dealerships of Geely can apply to join the Eagle series sales network, and Geely Auto will recruit a number of highly qualified dealers to expand this network.  

The Panda, with its front part resembling a giant panda, is equipped with Geely's self-developed CVVT 1-liter engine and the model offers two-door and four-door options. Geely Auto displayed the Panda mini-car, among other models, at the 2008 Beijing auto show in April.