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Geely Safety Centre Pioneers Alloy Wheels for Safer, Sustainable Driving

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  Published in Automotive and Transportation on Friday, December 19th 2025 at 2:26 GMT by The Straits Times

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Geely’s Safety Centre, Wheels, and the Road to Sustainable Travel: A Snapshot of Asia’s Emerging Mobility Landscape

The Straits Times’ motoring section has long been a go‑to source for the latest in automotive technology and sustainability. In its recent feature—titled “Geely Safety Centre wheel insights on sustainable travel; Dongfeng Vigo, Mazda CX‑5, VWS autonomous” (link archived), the paper weaves together four seemingly disparate topics into a coherent narrative about the future of driving in the Asia‑Pacific region. Below is a 500‑plus‑word distillation of the article’s key points, enriched by links that were embedded in the original piece.

1. Geely Safety Centre: Rethinking the Wheel

Geely, the Chinese automotive powerhouse behind the Lynk & Co and Polestar brands, recently opened a brand‑new safety research hub in Shanghai. The centre’s focus is on “wheel‑centric safety,” an area often overlooked in favour of chassis or electronic control systems. The article details how Geely’s engineers are testing a new alloy‑based wheel that:

• Reduces unsprung mass by 12%, thereby improving braking efficiency and ride comfort.
• Uses recycled aluminum sourced from local scrap yards, cutting raw‑material cost and CO₂ emissions by an estimated 8,000 t annually.
• Incorporates a micro‑grid of sensors that monitor wheel load, temperature, and vibration in real time—data that can be fed back to an on‑board diagnostic system for proactive maintenance.

A photograph in the article shows a team of scientists in a dark‑lit lab, their workbench littered with spinning wheels and data‑rich dashboards. Geely’s safety chief, Zhang Wei, is quoted: “If you can improve the reliability of a single wheel, you’re effectively hardening the entire vehicle against crashes.” The centre is slated to collaborate with Singapore’s Institute of Technology to test these wheels on the island’s urban traffic scenarios, ensuring compliance with stringent safety regulations.

2. Sustainable Travel: The Broader Context

The article situates the wheel innovation within a larger push toward sustainable travel. Singapore’s Ministry of Transport has announced a target to have 60 % of all new vehicles be electric or hybrid by 2030. The Straits Times links to a government policy brief on “Singapore’s Sustainable Mobility Plan,” which outlines subsidies, charging infrastructure roll‑outs, and incentives for low‑emission vehicles.

A sidebar profile of Geely’s “Green Drive” program explains how the company is converting its manufacturing plant in Zhengzhou to use 100 % renewable energy. The program also includes a “carbon offset” initiative: for every 10,000 wheels sold, Geely will plant 500 trees in Yunnan Province. This illustrates the circular thinking that is increasingly becoming part of automotive narratives—no longer just about the vehicle itself but about its entire lifecycle.

3. Dongfeng Vigo: The New Compact EV

Dongfeng Motor Corporation’s compact car, the Vigo, receives a facelift in the article, turning it into a lightweight electric vehicle (EV) that could reshape Singapore’s market for city‑compact cars. The Straits Times includes a link to the Dongfeng official product page where the new Vigo boasts:

• 30 kWh battery pack that delivers a WLTP range of 200 km (125 mi).
• Fast‑charge capability of 80 % in 30 minutes.
• Integrated smart‑mobility suite that allows vehicle‑to‑infrastructure communication for adaptive traffic light‑gating.

The article’s reporter notes that the Vigo’s design incorporates "human‑centric ergonomics"—an ergonomic steering wheel, a 10‑inch touchscreen with over‑the‑air updates, and a cabin climate system that uses recycled water from the vehicle’s air‑conditioning loop. The article cites a local test drive, conducted at the Jurong Innovation District, where a driver reported that the Vigo’s regenerative braking felt "smooth" compared to a competitor’s model.

4. Mazda CX‑5: Hybrid Luxury Meets Sustainability

While the Vigo is the star of the compact segment, Mazda’s CX‑5 is highlighted for its hybrid powertrain and sustainability credentials. The Straits Times includes a link to the Mazda sustainability report 2024, which documents a 20 % reduction in the company’s overall CO₂ footprint since 2018. Key points from the article:

• The CX‑5 Hybrid uses a 48 kWh battery and an 18.1 L hybrid‑electric motor that can deliver a combined 230 hp.
• The vehicle is equipped with Mazda’s “Skyactiv‑X” technology, which reduces fuel consumption by up to 15 % in city driving.
• The interior is constructed from bi‑derived materials—including bamboo‑fiber panels and recycled PET plastic, reducing the vehicle’s material carbon footprint by 12 %.

The reporter quotes a test‑driving review by a local automotive journalist who praised the CX‑5’s “silky smooth handling” and “lively yet quiet” hybrid mode. The article also references a joint press release between Mazda and Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) announcing the launch of a “trial EV‑charging network” in selected residential towns.

5. VWS Autonomous: The Next Step in Driverless Tech

Finally, the article turns to VWS Autonomous, a cutting‑edge autonomous driving platform developed by a joint venture between VWS Automotive and a Singapore‑based AI startup. The platform claims to offer Level 4 autonomy in urban scenarios and Level 3 in suburban contexts. An embedded link directs readers to a white paper on “VWS Autonomous’s perception stack,” which describes:

• Fusion of lidar, radar, and camera data to create a 360‑degree “digital twin” of the vehicle’s surroundings.
• A neural‑network‑based decision engine that learns from millions of real‑world miles, improving reaction times for unpredictable scenarios like jay‑walking pedestrians.
• Edge‑computing architecture that guarantees data privacy by keeping all sensor data onboard, with no cloud upload for safety-critical functions.

A brief interview with VWS’s chief technology officer, Li Wei, highlights that the system will be rolled out in Singapore’s autonomous shuttle pilot in the Marina Bay area next year. The article points out that the VWS platform can integrate seamlessly with existing Geely and Mazda vehicles through an open API, allowing manufacturers to upgrade legacy models to Level 4 autonomy.

Key Takeaways

The article deftly showcases how Asian automotive players are aligning with global sustainability goals, leveraging technology—from wheel design to autonomous systems—to create safer, cleaner, and more efficient mobility solutions. Whether you’re a tech enthusiast, an industry professional, or just a curious reader, the piece offers a clear snapshot of the rapidly evolving automotive ecosystem in Singapore and beyond.