Atlas for a long time held the lead among Chinese cars in Russia, but in March it was replaced by a strong competitor.
Over the past month, Russians purchased 642 Haval F7 cars, which allowed the crossover to take first place in sales among Chinese-made cars. Geely dealers sold 575 Atlas units over the same period.
The reason Geely is losing ground lies in the fact that Haval F7 seems to be a more interesting offer to Russian consumers. The price difference is not so large as to give one of the models a competitive advantage, therefore, Haval succeeds in attracting customers due to its bright design, a wealth of options and a technical “stuffing”.
Geely offers its most popular model at a price of 1 204 990 to 1 769 990 rubles. The crossover is available with three engines to choose from: a 2.0- and 2.4-liter aspirated, as well as a 1.8-liter turbo engine. Paired with them, a 6-speed manual or automatic transmission can work.
In turn, the F7 with a price tag of 1,489,000 to 1,585,000 rubles can be purchased with a 1.5- or 2.0-liter engine producing 150 and 190 horsepower, respectively. And already in the basic versions turbocharging is provided. The transmission is the 7-speed DCT.
Judging by the reviews of motorists, the design of the Haval F7 seems to most successful. Geely Atlas looks too simple, and the decision of the designers to raise the “stern” cost the car a good visibility through the interior mirror.
The front seats in the Atlas are set too high, and in the back row there is enough space, but less than that of the competitor. The headroom in F7 is also impressive, despite having a panoramic roof.
At the same time, the designers of Geely Atlas misused space. Due to an attempt to make a flat floor with the rear seats folded down, the trunk turned out to be cramped. The Haval not only has a larger luggage compartment, but also has the ability to adjust the backrests of the rear seats to tilt.
Up to 100 km / h, the Haval F7 accelerates in 9.0 seconds versus the 10.7 seconds that Atlas will need. Another plus of the “seven” is the low cost of maintenance. Given all the benefits of Hawale, the F7 could kill Atlas sales.
Yana Kudryavtseva
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