Geely has unveiled the more fuel-economy-oriented Leishen EM-i hybrid system, following the previous launch of the more performance-oriented Leishen EM-p.
Geely Automobile Holdings has unveiled a next-generation hybrid system to rival BYD's (HKG: 1211, OTCMKTS: BYDDY) DM-i system, which is known for its fuel economy.
The automaker unveiled the system, called the Leishen EM-i, at an event today, describing it as a new generation of extremely fuel-efficient super hybrid system developed for mainstream users.
The system features technological innovations to the engine and transmission, with a thermal efficiency of the engine of 46.5 percent, Geely said.
Test cars equipped with the Leishen EM-i system have a range of up to 2,390 kilometers and average fuel consumption of just 2.62 liters per 100 kilometers, the automaker said.
The Leishen EM-i is the more fuel-economy oriented system, after Geely already used the more performance-oriented Leishen EM-p system.
The naming of Geely's hybrid systems is similar to BYD's, which is split into the more fuel-economy-focused DM-i, and the more performance-oriented DM-p.
BYD launched its first-generation DM hybrid technology platform in 2008. In 2021, it launched its fourth-generation DM platform, which began dividing the technology into DM-p and DM-i.
On May 28, BYD introduced its fifth-generation DM technology, or DM 5.0, which brings lower fuel consumption than its predecessor.
The fifth-generation DM technology gives the engine a thermal efficiency of 46.06 percent, the highest in the world, BYD's chairman and president Wang Chuanfu said at the time.
At low charge, BYD models equipped with the fifth-generation DM technology have fuel consumption as low as 2.9 liters per 100 kilometers. With the technology, the vehicles have a combined range of up to 2,100 kilometers, according to BYD.
In the past few months, BYD has launched several DM 5.0-based models, including the Qin L DM-i, Seal 06 DM-i, Song L DM-i, and the 2025 Song Plus DM-i.
For Geely, the Lynk & Co-branded Lynk & Co 07 and Lynk & Co 08 are already powered by the Leishen EM-p hybrid system, while the Leishen EM-i will be used in models including the Galaxy Starship 7, Galaxy L6, and L7.
The Galaxy Starship 7 will be the first model to feature the Leishen EM-i system and the SUV (sport utility vehicle) is expected to be unveiled in November.
Over the past few years, BYD has risen rapidly and has overtaken Geely in terms of car sales.
In the January-September period, BYD sold 2,466,607 retail units in China, ranking No. 1 in the country's passenger car market with a 15.8 percent share, according to a ranking by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) earlier this month.
Geely ranked second with a 7.6 percent share of retail sales of 1,176,259 units in the same period.
Automakers' share of China NEV market in Sept: BYD tops with 34.4%, Tesla 4th with 6.4%
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