On the eve of the Guangzhou Auto Show, the highly anticipated 2021 Annual China Car Award Ceremony was held. Geely Auto’s flagship CMA-based Preface sedan was awarded with the highest honour of the ceremony and named the “2021 China Car of the Year.” In addition, at the opening of the Guangzhou Auto Show, Preface’s first FOTA Firmware Over the Air update was showcased to the public for the first time.
The annual awards known in the industry as China’s “fairest and most authoritative annual car award.” An independent panel made up of 41 distinguished automotive journalists and experts voted on the best models launched in China over the course of 2020 before the ceremony. Along with the most prestigious “Car of the Year” award, the panel voted on a total of six different awards including SUV of the year, Green car of the year, Performance car of the year, Design of the year, and Corporate CSR.
This year’s winner, the first CMA-based sedan from Geely Auto, Preface was first unveiled as a concept in 2019 at the Shanghai Auto Show. The production model was launched in late 2020 after the Beijing Auto Show. The Preface sedan marks Geely Auto’s entry into its an Innovative Geely 4.0 era. Geely’s fourth generation of vehicles are based on advanced modular architectures that allow for leading levels of connectivity, intelligence, and quality that include safety as a standard.
With the CMA highly advanced architecture, Preface has been endowed with the highest level of connectivity supporting FOTA, “Firmware Over the Air” updates. In an industry first for an ICE powered vehicle, FOTA allows Preface to be constantly improved remotely with incremental updates to its in-car software, vehicle power, driving dynamics, assisted driving features, and other integrated systems. Through FOTA updates, users can enjoy the benefit of having the “new car experience” every time they step through the door.
The Preface Sedan has begun sales across China in October 2020 with global sales planned for a future date.
SOURCE: Geely
