Geely launches Galaxy, another premium PHEV and EV sub-brand

Over the next two years, Chinese car manufacturer Geely wants to launch seven new premium electric cars under its new sub-brand Galaxy. That includes four long-range hybrids and three battery-electric vehicles. The first three models will hit the road this year.

The new Geely Galaxy series will have two model lines – L for plug-in hybrids and E for all-electric cars. The PHEVs are based on Geely and Volvo’s E-CMA platform, while the pure EVs will sit on the company’s SEA platform.

Consolidation

Geely has been announcing new models and brands almost every month in recent years, so probably even the people inside the company didn’t know what they represented anymore. Now the company also announced a consolidation of its brands and series. The (here almost unknown) brands like Geometry and Star will become sub-brands under Geely, just as Galaxy will be.

Overall, Geely Auto owns or co-owns more than ten independent car brands, including Volvo, Polestar, Lotus, Lynk&Co, and Zeekr. It also shares 50% of Smart with Mercedes-Benz (in which company it is also a shareholder) and recently bought a 40% stake in Renault Horse, the new department of Renault where ICE engines (usually hybrids) will still be further developed.

Galaxy L7 and L6

The first three models of Galaxy will hit the read before the end of the year. First up is the Geely Galaxy L7 SUV, a plug-in hybrid. It has a top speed of 200 kph and can go from zero to 100 kph in 7,5 seconds. Consumption has been tested at 5,2 l/100 km. Pre-sales are already underway, and deliveries will begin in the second half of this year.

The L6 sedan (also a PHEV) will soon follow, with deliveries scheduled for Q3 of 2023. All plug-in models will use Geely’s NordThos 8848 powertrain (8 848 is the height of Mount Everest in meters, suggesting that this new powertrain is the absolute top in hybrid powertrains).

The company’s latest generation dedicated hybrid engine has a peak thermal efficiency of 44,3%. The powertrain also uses the industry’s first predictive energy management system, said to improve fuel efficiency by up to 15%  compared to previous hybrid engines.

The Galaxy series will also be the first to utilize Geely’s Aegis battery safety system that protects the pack during direct impacts and pre-empt thermal runaways.

Galaxy Light Concept

The first fully electric car, still to be launched this year, is the E8. However, there are rumors that this car could be the production version of the earlier announced Galaxy Light Concept, shown again at a flagship event in Hangzhou at the end of last week. At the ceremony, Geely Auto also unveiled several new technologies, including the already mentioned Aegis battery safety system,  the hybrid powertrain, and the latest intelligent vehicle operating system Galaxy N-OS.

The Galaxy Light  Concept is a large-sized EV coupé with a drag coefficient of less than 0,19. It will be equipped with lidars, radars, and even satellite receivers as Geely’s subsidiary Geespace aims to have 72 satellites in orbit by 2025. The concept car is missing physical rearview mirrors and door handles. However, it supports NFC unlocking and even has a drone port in the rear where UAVs can land and charge. It will be interesting to watch which features will make it to production.

Until now, nobody knows if and when these products of the new Galaxy sub-brand will be sold outside China. Earlier on, it was expected that Galaxy would be a pure EV brand, but now it seems that Geely also wants to use its sub-brand to propose an answer to the successful hybrid cars of competitors like BYD (DM-i) and Dongfeng (Blue Core iDD) in China.