- Analyst expect monthly sales of the Starshine 8 to reach 10,000 units as the price is competitive.
- The hybrid sedan starts at RMB 125,800 ($17,450).
Geely Auto's sub-brand Geely Galaxy has seen a hot start with the new model Starshine 8, which is expected to help Geely sustain strong new energy vehicle (NEV) sales growth.
The Starshine 8 has already received more than 10,000 firm orders, just six days after its launch on May 9, Geely Galaxy announced on Weibo last night.
The Geely Galaxy was originally a new product lineup that was officially launched on February 23, 2023.
On March 3 this year, Geely announced that Geely Galaxy was upgraded from a lineup to a new brand with the inclusion of the Geely unit London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC) as a premium MPV (multi-purpose vehicle) range.
Geely Galaxy officially launched the Starshine 8 on May 9, a mid to large-size hybrid sedan.
The model is available in seven variants, including five fuel economy-oriented EM-i versions and two performance-oriented EM-P versions.
The starting prices for the 5 EM-i variants are RMB 125,800 ($17,450), RMB 131,800, RMB 135,800, RMB 141,800, and RMB 151,800 respectively.
The two EM-P versions start at RMB 154,800 and RMB 155,800 respectively.
Customers who buy the model before June 30 can get a limited-time RMB 10,000 discount.
The hybrid sedan measures 5,018 mm in length, 1,918 mm in width and 1,480 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2,928 mm.
The EM-i variants can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.9 seconds and the EM-P variants in 6.49 seconds.
The EM-i variants are powered by lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery packs with 8.5 kWh and 18.4 kWh capacity options and CLTC battery range of 60 km and 130 km respectively.
The EM-P variants come with LFP packs with a capacity of 18.4 kWh and a CLTC battery range of 130 km.
Deutsche Bank analyst Wang Bin said in a research note earlier this week that the Starshine 8 is priced very competitively.
Compared to plug-in hybrid rivals such as the BYD Han DM-i, BYD Seal 07 DM-i, and Leapmotor C01, the Starshine 8 has similar length and wheelbase dimensions, but is priced lower, the analyst said.
The analyst attributes the Starshine 8's price competitiveness to the Geely Electric Architecture (GEA) technology, which integrates multiple electrification options into a single technology architecture at a significantly lower cost.
GEA simplifies the vehicle manufacturing process, improves production efficiency, shortens the vehicle R&D cycle, and lowers component sourcing costs, according to the research note.
Deutsche Bank expects monthly sales of the Starshine 8 to reach 10,000 units.
"We are now more confident on Geely Galaxy's 2025 full-year volume target of 1.0 million units thanks to Geely's aggressive pricing strategy," the note reads.
Geely Galaxy sold 96,632 units in April, up 659.39 percent year-on-year, according to data released by Geely earlier this month.
In the January-April period, Geely Galaxy sales were up 595.26 percent year-on-year to 356,341 vehicles.
($1 = RMB 7.2073)
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