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Geely has locked in an Australian launch for the first half of next year.
But the brand hasn’t pledged to be all-electric and its new Galaxy Starship 7 plug-in hybrid family SUV could prove a major headache for the BYD Sealion and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.
That’s because the Galaxy Starship 7’s generous 19kWh lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack allows up to 120km of electric-only driving range, which is paired with the 82kW petrol engine, bringing combined driving range to 1420km (CLTC) between a charge and fill.
For reference, the electric-only range of the BYD Sealion 6 is 92km, while the updated Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is 86km. These figures are WLTP rated and the CLTC numbers quoted by Geely are typically more generous.
The Galaxy L7 is fitted with Geely’s ‘NordThor EM-i Super Hybrid’ set-up, while there are no combined outputs yet, the electric motor will do the heavy lifting at 160kW/262Nm. Geely claims a 0-100km/h sprint of 7.5 seconds and 180km/h top speed.
Plug-in hybrid driving range has become the new battleground for Chinese car makers. BYD’s soon-to-launch DM-i set-up claims 2000km in a sleek sedan while XPeng, Chery and others are also getting into the plug-in hybrid game.
Dimensions of the Galaxy L7 PHEV put it firmly in the medium SUV segment, with the five-seater measuring 4740mm long, 1905mm wide and 1685mm tall with a 2750mm wheelbase. The drag coefficient is 0.29Cd.
Inside there’s a 13.8-inch head-up display, 10.2-inch digital driver’s display, 14.6-inch multimedia touchscreen, 16-speaker sound system, V2L and ‘Marshmallow’ seats with 14-point massaging, heating and ventilation.
Chinese car making giant Geely partly or fully owns several marques including Lotus, Volvo, Smart, Polestar, Lynk & Co and Zeekr and will make an entrance in Australia next year with its EX5, expected to be a cut-price alternative to a Tesla Model Y and Hyundai Ioniq 5.
Geely has a past in Australia, which quickly came to an end about a decade ago. Come half one 2025 when the EX5 launches, it is looking for more staying power. A plug-in hybrid like the Galaxy L7 could be just the ticket.
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