Geely Auto aims to target the market with the broadest potential user base with the Galaxy E8 and accelerate the replacement of conventional internal combustion engine vehicles.
(Image credit: Geely Auto)
Geely Auto Group has launched the Galaxy E8, the first all-electric sedan in the Galaxy product lineup, with powerful specifications and affordable price tags that will intensify competition in China's electric vehicle (EV) market.
Geely Auto officially launched the Galaxy E8 today in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, where it is headquartered, as the first Geely-branded vehicle to utilize Geely Holding Group's Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) and the third model in the Galaxy array.
The Galaxy E8 has a starting price of RMB 175,800 ($24,600), which is RMB 12,200 lower than the RMB 188,000 it was priced at when pre-sales began on December 16.
Galaxy is a new product array officially launched by Geely Auto on February 23, 2023 to target the mainstream plug-in hybrid and pure electric vehicle markets.
Geely Auto plans to launch a cumulative total of seven models in the Galaxy lineup by 2025, including four plug-in hybrid models in the L-series and three pure electric models in the E-series, according to its plans announced in February.
The Galaxy L7 SUV, as well as the Galaxy L6 sedan, hit the market in 2023, and they are both hybrids.
With the Galaxy E8, Geely Auto hopes to target the widest market of potential users, which is by far the most competitive in the EV segment.
Before the Galaxy E8, there were no high-value pure EVs in the mainstream market with the broadest user base, Geely Auto CEO Jerry Gan said at today's launch.
At the same time, China's B-segment sedan market is still dominated by combustion-engine models from foreign brands, and consumers can't find a pure electric alternative, Gan said.
The Galaxy E8 will bring oriental aesthetics, safety, powerful performance, and intelligence to the mainstream market, giving consumers a truly high-value all-electric flagship model, he said.
The Galaxy E8 is a mid-to-large-size electric sedan with a length, width and height of 5,010 mm, 1,920 mm and 1,465 mm, respectively, and a wheelbase of 2,925 mm.
The model is available in five trims with starting prices of RMB 175,800, RMB 185,800, RMB 198,800, RMB 218,800, and RMB 228,800, respectively. Most previous electric sedans of this size have been priced near the RMB 300,000 mark.
The top-of-the-line version of the Galaxy E8 is based on the 800 V high-voltage platform, which gives it a range of 180 kilometers on a five-minute charge.
The top trim is powered by a high-performance silicon carbide electric drive system with dual motors totaling 475 kW, and can sprint from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in 3.49 seconds.
Its other versions are built on the mainstream 400 V platform to offer lower prices.
The Galaxy E8's cockpit is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295 chip, the chip of choice for the latest mainstream premium EV models, with an eight-fold increase in computing power over the previous generation's mainstream Snapdragon 8155 chip.
The model comes standard with a large 45-inch screen with a resolution of 8K, the most powerful on-board screen ever used in China's EV sector, created by Geely Auto with panel maker BOE.
The Galaxy E8 is available with 62 kWh, 75.6 kWh, and 76-kWh battery pack options, and in terms of range, there are three options -- 550 kilometers, 620 kilometers, and 665 kilometers -- which are in line with current mainstream EV models.
Geely Auto said it conducted extensive testing to optimize the Galaxy E8's wind resistance, resulting in a drag coefficient as low as Cd 0.199.
Geely Auto is offering customers who order the Galaxy E8 before January 31 a discount of RMB 6,000, an option fund of RMB 6,000, and a RMB 8,000 trade-in subsidy.
Deliveries of the Galaxy E8 began at launch, with Yu Minhong, founder of private educational service provider New Oriental Education, becoming the first owner.
The Galaxy E8 is expected to accelerate Geely Auto's electrification transition and boost its sales.
The Geely brand sold 107,382 vehicles in December, up 6 percent year-on-year, according to data released earlier this month.
The Galaxy lineup sold 12,088 vehicles in December and 83,497 in all of 2023.
($1 = RMB 7.1498)
