Geely BMA B-segment platform revealed, first SUV coming 2H 2018 – architecture for Proton models?

Geely has released details of a new platform for its entry-level models. Imaginatively called the B-segment Modular Architecture (BMA), it’s the Chinese conglomerate’s first independently developed modular platform, and follows the Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) developed in partnership with Volvo.

The BMA platform is said to be industry leading in areas such as extendibility, vehicle power and intelligent safety, and is set to underpin various models like sedans, SUVs, crossovers, MPVs and even wagons. Geely says that the architecture will achieve economies of scale and will stay technically advanced in the future, offering strong support for upcoming production layouts.

Various powertrains will be accommodated by the new platform, including 1.0 litre, 1.4 litre and 1.5 litre turbocharged engines (the latter has been co-developed with Volvo and will also be fitted to the XC40), as well as plug-in hybrid and mild hybrid electric configurations as part of the brand’s Multi-Power system.

Geely’s new B-segment SUV, codenamed SX11, will be the first model built on the BMA platform. Expected to be launched in the second half of 2018, it will be powered by the 1.5 litre direct-injected turbo engine producing 177 hp and 255 Nm of torque. Chinese automotive portal Gasgoo reports that the model will be called Xingyue, following a naming convention set by the Boyue.

Will national carmaker Proton be a recipient of the BMA platform? Geely dropped a few hints in its press release, saying that the architecture will be applied to the company’s overseas subsidiary brands, and that production of BMA-based models will be launched in Southeast Asia. Other production sites that will build these models include those in Eastern and Western Europe, Africa, South America and the Middle East.

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