Geely is set to start producing a small crossover utility vehicle late next year – the first car to be built using a common platform jointly developed with Volvo. The car – yet to be named – will hit showrooms in China in early 2017, several European markets a year or so later, and eventually the United States. The new car will be based on a common platform called compact modular architecture (CMA) and engine technology that Zhejiang Geely Holding Group has developed with Volvo Cars. Geely, which also owns black cab maker London Taxi, is building an assembly plant in China, which will eventually have the capacity to produce 150,000 CMA-based vehicles a year for Geely and Volvo. In China, Geely plans to sell a petrol-engine version from early 2017, followed by a couple of alternative fuel variants, such as plug-in hybrids. In targeting Europe with an alternative-fuel model, Geely wanted to be seen as a maker of affordable high-technology cars rather than just another cheap, no-frills Chinese brand, the South China Morning Post reports.