China's Geely – returning to Australia with hybrid and electric cars – is preparing to add its second model for local showrooms later this year, a plug-in family SUV.
Chinese brand Geely – which has just returned to Australia with the EX5, an electric Tesla Model Y rival – has announced plans for five new hybrid or electric cars in the next three years.
Among them is set to be a lengthened, plug-in hybrid counterpart to the EX5, a mid-size SUV sold by Geely in China as the Galaxy Starship 7.
Likely to drop the Galaxy portion of its name – or swap to a different badge entirely – the Starship 7 will match up against the BYD Sealion 6 and other budget-priced, plug-in hybrid family SUVs.
Geely Australia boss Lei Li told Drive the company's next model is due in showrooms by the end of this year.
The vehicle is yet to be formally confirmed for showrooms, but a teaser video and front-end photo of what was said to be Geely's next local model – shown to media at the brand's Australian launch – matches the design of the Starship 7.
Prices are yet to be confirmed, but it could be even more affordable than the $40,990 plus on-road costs of the EX5, which already undercuts the cheapest Sealion 6 and conventional hybrid Toyota RAV4.
In China, a top-of-the-range EX5 – where it is sold as the Galaxy E5 – is priced from 143,800 yuan ($AU32,000), compared to 130,800 yuan ($AU29,000) for the Starship 7.
If that price difference applies in Australia, the Starship 7 could start from $37,000 before on-road costs – making it the cheapest plug-in hybrid in the country by a margin of a few thousand dollars.
The EX5 and Starship 7 are closely related under the skin – with familiar proportions and common underpinnings known as GEA – but differ in their dimensions due to unique sheetmetal.
The PHEV is 5mm longer between the front and rear wheels (2755mm), and 4mm wider (1905mm), but 5mm lower (1685mm), and a considerable 125mm longer nose to tail (4740mm).
Inside, the two are closely related, though the Starship 7 gains a different centre console design below the 14.6-inch infotainment touchscreen.
Powering the Starship 7 is an 82kW/136Nm 1.5-litre petrol engine assisted by a 160kW/262Nm electric motor, and an 8.5kWh or 19.09kWh battery pack.
It's rated for between 55km and 120km of electric-only driving range in Chinese CLTC testing, depending on model, and up to 1420km of range in hybrid mode.
Fuel consumption on a low battery charge is quoted as 3.75 litres per 100 kilometres, again in CLTC testing, while 36kW DC charging allows the larger battery to charge from 30 to 80 per cent in a claimed 20 minutes.
The models planned to follow the Starship 7 are yet to be confirmed, but Geely said every car in the six-vehicle range it will sell come 2028 will be based on a "Geely Global Architecture".
If it refers to the GEA chassis under the EX5 and Starship 7, only one other model uses it to date, the Xingyuan or Geome city hatch sold overseas.
Other models sold by Geely's Galaxy brand in China include the E8 electric sedan, Star 8 plug-in hybrid sedan, and large Galaxy L7 plug-in hybrid SUV.
Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
