2023 Boyue Cool: Will this be the next-gen Geely Azkarra?

The Geely Azkarra is known in the Philippine market as the bigger brother of the Coolray. Serving as the brand's second model in the country and their first mild hybrid offering, the Azkarra likewise made a good impression on us as it delivered in terms of its features, the way it drives, and especially in pricing.

But now that it's been three years since the Azkarra was launched here, an all-new model may be on the cards.

In Geely's home market, the next-generation Boyue L (Azkarra is known as Boyue in China) has been on sale since October of last year. And now, Geely has released the first images of the more compact Boyue Cool.

Size-wise, the Boyue Cool measures 4510mm long, 1865mm wide, and 1650mm tall with a 2701mm wheelbase. Interestingly, the new model is 34mm shorter in length and 63mm lower than the current Azkarra, but is 34mm wider. It also has a 40mm longer wheelbase.

When it comes to the second-generation Boyue's looks, well it's indeed a very different-looking compact crossover. It adopts Geely's “Starburst Vision” design language that consists of angular shapes and sharp lines all over, but some of the crossover's features seem to have been inspired by models from different manufacturers.

The slim headlights, large grille, and triangular side intakes remind us of the Cadillac Lyriq EV, and it's even trickier now to spot the difference as the Boyue Cool is now sporting Geely's new logo that adopts a minimalist look. Moving to its side profile, the steeply raked belt line at the rear window to the quarter glass is something we've also seen from the Peugeot 2008.

Meanwhile, the rear of the car has slim LED taillights, which also run through the entire width of the tailgate. We're not quite sure which reference to put here, but it does follow the trend of stylish crossovers coming from China. The faux triangular side intakes also make their way to the rear of the car, and below it is a diffuser-like section that houses the quad exhaust tailpipes which appear to be functional ones.

Unfortunately, Geely did not reveal the interior images of the new Boyue Cool, and we may have to wait for a bit more for those to surface.

In terms of its engine, reports say it will still have a 1.5-liter turbo but will get an extra piston to make it a four-cylinder unit. Sources say it produces 177 PS and is mated to a 7-speed DCT. For now, we're yet to see if the Boyue Cool will have a 48V mild-hybrid version just like the previous model.

Geely is reportedly launching the new Boyue Cool within the first half of this year for the Chinese market, with pre-orders opening in early April. As for the Philippine market, however, we may have to stay tuned if this is indeed the model we're getting or the longer Boyue L.

Source: carnewschina