The owner of Lotus, Volvo and Polestar is about to launch the Geely EV brand in the UK
The first model bound for UK showrooms will be the Geely EX5, an electric crossover pitched against the Skoda Elroq, Kia EV3 and Renault Megane.
UK specifications have yet to be confirmed, but Geely said the EX5 has been assessed by Lotus Engineering to evaluate whether it requires retuning for European roads.
Globally, the crossover is offered with a choice of 49.5kWh or 60.2kWh battery packs, with the latter yielding a range of up to 264 miles on the WLTP test cycle. They can be charged at a rate of up to 100kW on a DC connection, giving the bigger battery a 30-80% refill in 20 minutes.
It has a single front-mounted motor that puts out 215bhp, giving a 0-62mph sprint time of 6.9sec.
Inside, it seats five and features a 15.4in infotainment touchscreen.
Prices have yet to be announced, but the EX5 starts from $40,990 (£19,500) in Australia, hinting at a price of between £25k and £30k in the UK.
Geely said that fleet buyers are expected to be a 'key segment' for the model – indeed, they account for the majority of EV sales at present – and that it was confident that it will appeal to UK buyers.
Deliveries are earmarked to begin between October and the end of the year, and more Geely models are set to follow next year.
The move comes as Geely attempts to tap new markets for rapid growth, adding more than 300 non-Chinese dealers and service centres to its global portfolio by the end of 2025.
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Times
9 minutes ago
- Times
Airport staff paid bonuses to catch passengers with oversized cabin bags
Airport staff are earning cash bonuses for catching out easyJet passengers travelling with oversized bags, a leaked email has revealed. An internal email has revealed that staff at Swissport, an aviation company that runs passenger gates at airports, were notified they were 'eligible to receive £1.20 (£1 after tax) for every gate bag taken, effective immediately'. The email, seen by The Sunday Times, was sent to Swissport employees working at seven UK airports in Belfast, Birmingham, Glasgow, Jersey, Liverpool and Newcastle. It introduced them to 'the easyJet gate bag revenue incentive', which is 'intended to reward agents doing the right thing' and would result in 'payments made directly to employees'. The email was sent in November 2023, and the policy is still in force. For staff concerned about meeting targets, 'internal tracking will be used to identify opportunities for further support and training for individual agents, but will not be used negatively'. It was signed — with a 'Thank you for your ongoing contribution to the success of easyJet' — by Dean Martin, a Swissport station manager at Glasgow airport. The email and its contents was first reported by the Jersey Evening Post. Ground handlers employed by another aviation company, DHL Supply Chain, at Gatwick, Bristol and Manchester airports also have a remuneration package for identifying non-compliant easyJet bags. The employees receive 'a nominal amount' per bag. EasyJet, which last year made £9 billion in revenue, allows passengers to take a small bag that fits under their seat for free. Larger bags can be put in the overhead lockers for prices starting at £5.99. For a one-way flight this week from Gatwick to Palma, Mallorca, the cost is £32.99. The financial incentive for boarding-gate staff applies if they catch a passenger whose bag is deemed too big to be taken into the cabin, either because they have not paid to take a larger suitcase on board or because their free hand luggage is too large. Boarding gates at airports usually have a metal box with the dimensions of baggage allowed on the plane. Passengers boarding flights are asked to check their bags in the box. Many travellers complain that they have been forced to pay an additional fee for their bags, and sometimes put their bags in the hold, despite their luggage seeming to meet the correct dimensions. In some cases it has led to furious rows at the boarding gate. EasyJet charges £48 at the gate — £1.20 of which is paid to the ground handler. The airline does not have oversight on the commission paid to DHL Supply Chain or Swissport staff because both companies manage the payments directly with their employees. Emily Thomas Adderson, 44, flew with easyJet from Gatwick to Athens with her husband David, 44, and their three daughters, Lily, 8, Poppy, 10, and Daisy, 12, for a half-term holiday. But the family holiday got off to a bad start after all five of their bags were seized by boarding gate staff for being too big to fit beneath an airplane seat. The family, who live in Guernsey, had to pay £240 to take the bags on board. Thomas Adderson said this was despite their bags being within the free hand baggage size and fitting inside the measurement box by the gate. When on board the plane, Thomas Adderson said she put her bag under her seat anyway. 'There is no rhyme or reason for why you get singled out,' said Thomas Adderson, who works in finance. 'They are so aggressive and then say you can join the back of the queue and not board the plane if you want, so you have to just give in and pay. 'I don't know what the secret is but I am sure there must be an incentive to get people to pay extra. 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'You risk abuse or worse — imagine stopping a group of lads on a stag weekend and telling them, 'I'm going to have to charge you more than you paid for your tickets to check those bags into the hold'.' • Hand luggage: Ryanair, easyJet and British Airways policies explained Luggage has become a lucrative tool for airlines and bags can now cost more than the plane seat. Size allowances differ, depending on the airline, and several have shrunk in recent years. However, last week, Ryanair announced it is increasing its allowance from 40cm x 25cm x 20cm to 40cm x 30cm x 20cm, which equates to 24 litres. Last month, the EU proposed new rules that would allow passengers to bring one personal item, such as a handbag, backpack or laptop, and one item of cabin baggage weighing up to 7kg on board free of charge. The change, which would apply to any flight taking off or landing in the EU, still needs approval from 55 per cent of member nations. 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The Guardian
12 minutes ago
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The Sun
14 minutes ago
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