Author: Qiukaijun
Don’t get it wrong. “Galaxy” is not a new brand owned by Geely, but the name of a new energy vehicle series under the mid-to-high-end Geely brand.
“We will divide Geely into three product series. The Geometry brand officially returns as Geely’s popular pure electric intelligent product series priced between 50,000 and 150,000 yuan. Galaxy is a mid-to-high-end smart new energy product series. The current such as China Star, familiar Binyi series, and Bo series will form the Polestar series product.” Fan Junyi, general manager of Geely Automobile Sales Company, said.
Although not a brand, it is also one of the three major product series of Geely brand. On February 23, Geely brand grandly released the mid-to-high-end new energy series “Galaxy” at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center.
Li Shufu, Chairman of Geely Automobile Group, said at the conference that “Galaxy” series will simultaneously lay out two technical architectures of intelligent electric hybrid and pure electric, and will launch seven products within two years. The first electric hybrid SUV Galaxy L7 and the first electric hybrid sedan Galaxy L6 will be delivered in the second and third quarters of this year respectively. The first pure electric product E8 will be delivered in the fourth quarter of this year.
Geely Automobile has set a great goal in the field of new energy, but earlier attempts have had their own advantages and disadvantages. This time, under the Geely brand, the new “Galaxy” series is launched, covering the smart new energy market in the 200,000-300,000 yuan range.
How can Geely Galaxy compete with rivals such as Tesla and BYD? And how to avoid “self-rolling” with Geely Group’s own brands such as Geometry, Lynk & Co, and Jidu?
Two Technical Architectures, Seven Cars to be Released
After a brief introduction to the industry, Li Shufu began to release the logo, prototype, power system architecture, intelligentization strategy, and mass production plan of the Galaxy new series.
First is the Galaxy logo.
The Galaxy logo is derived from Geely’s existing logo-Geely shield, except that it has become six rounded rectangles, expressing the digital process brought by binary with the vibration of two colors.
This simple change of logo is also commensurate with its identity as a Geely brand.
Secondly, Galaxy series also released a prototype car “Galaxy Light”.
Chen Zheng, vice president of design of Geely Automobile Group, introduced the design concept of “Galaxy Light”. “Galaxy Light is a low-center-of-gravity wide-body electric sports coupe. The body lines are atmospheric, concise, and warm, with a natural and effortless design, bringing excellent aerodynamic systems with a wind resistance coefficient of 0.19. Although the car is not in motion, it still has a wind. The Galaxy Light has both the extension and flexibility of the design, bringing more inspiration to the entire Geely Galaxy series.”Thirdly, the Galaxy series of models will adopt Geely’s self-developed vehicle architecture. “In the past decade, we have invested nearly 100 billion yuan to build SPA, CMA, Haohan, and the new generation e-CMA intelligent hybrid architecture. 11 global automotive brands have adopted these intelligent hybrid architectures, as well as intelligent architectures,” said Gan Jiayue.
Gan Jiayue stated that the Galaxy series will adopt both intelligent hybrid and intelligent pure electric architectures simultaneously.
“The Galaxy intelligent hybrid architecture covers intelligent hybrid products from A0 to B levels, and Geely Galaxy intelligent pure electric architecture covers intelligent pure electric products from A to D levels.”
In terms of pure electric technology, Gan Jiayue especially introduced the exclusive Shield Battery Safety System of Geely Galaxy. This system has been designed for safety in eight aspects: BMS 3.0 Battery Doctor; full-scenario extreme working conditions testing, including bottom collision protection verification; submarine-level whole vehicle safety protection; “non-flammable, non-explosive” battery cells; tank-level battery structure protection; rigorous design and development system; mother-infant-level electromagnetic safety protection; “Xingrui Zhi Suan” cloud security monitoring.
In the direction of hybrid technology, Gan Jiayue introduced the Galaxy-exclusive new generation of Thunderbolt hybrid technology.
“The Geely Galaxy intelligent hybrid system will debut the currently most heat-efficient production hybrid engine, the BHE15 Plus, which has an efficiency of 44.26% and has significantly improved torque and power. The next generation of Thunderbolt hybrid engines are already in the verification stage, and their efficiency has surpassed 46%, creating a new global peak of thermal efficiency.”
Gan Jiayue also introduced the Thunderbolt hybrid’s intelligent control system.
This system is equipped with the industry’s first predictive performance management energy management system, which will combine users’ habits and intelligent planning of travel paths to bring about ultra-low energy consumption and energy recovery far superior to the same level. The energy-saving rate can be increased by up to 15%.
The unique intelligent control system of Thunderbolt has outstanding performance. In a high-speed test of electric cars, the Thunderbolt electric hybrid three-gear electric drive model exceeded two top luxury electric sports cars with a speed of 228 km/h.In the Thunder Volt Hybrid Three-Speed Frequency Conversion Electric Drive System, the Two-Wheel Drive System has a comprehensive power of 287kW. Furthermore, Geely will also bring a super performance version with a comprehensive power of 488 kilowatts.
Geely refers to the proprietary Thunder Volt Hybrid as “Thunder Volt Hybrid 8848”, representing the company’s commitment to always climb the peak of technology and never stop.
Gan Jiaye also revealed the Galaxy’s intelligent strategy.
Gan Jiaye introduced that in December 2022, in the IVISTA professional evaluation, Geely’s high-speed NOA reached the G+ rating together with Tesla.
Moreover, the “Xingrui Intelligent Calculation” can simulate 100,000 kilometers of intelligent driving behavior training in one day. Combined with actual road tests on intelligent network-linked professional test tracks, it fully meets the L3-level global certification standards.
In addition, the “Tian Di Yi Ti” version of the Galaxy Intelligent Driving Solution based on Geely satellites, which can achieve centimeter-level accurate positioning, will meet with everyone soon.
“On Galaxy Intelligent Driving, we continuously challenge the safety limit. At present, we can timely stop at a speed of 90 kilometers per hour when facing a stationary target.”
Regarding the operating system, Geely independently developed the Galaxy NOS for the entire stack. It can satisfy the safety requirements of automobiles and access to the wonderful ecology of all things. Galaxy NOS is a distributed operating system based on the open and inclusive development concept of the open-source community, which brings users a multi-end fusion, one-touch interactive experience from the architectural layer, system layer, application layer, and other dimensions.
After introducing the technical basis, Gan Jiaye announced seven heavy-duty models that Geely Galaxy will launch in the next two years in one breath. They all adopt the brand new design concept of Galaxy Light, and their power systems use the Thunder Volt Hybrid series L and Galaxy Intelligent Pure Electric E series.
The Galaxy Intelligent Hybrid L series will launch four products, and the first hybrid SUV Galaxy L7 and the first hybrid sedan Galaxy L6 will be delivered in the second and third quarters of this year, respectively. In addition, there are two intelligent hybrid SUVs L5 and L9, which will be delivered in the second quarter of 2024 and 2025, respectively.
The Galaxy Intelligent Pure Electric E series will launch three products, and the first pure electric sedan E8 will be delivered in the fourth quarter of this year. In addition, there are pure electric sedan E6 and pure electric SUV E7, which will be delivered in the third and second quarters of 2024, respectively.“GAC Aion will fully attack the new energy mainstream market by only producing high-value new energy vehicles.” said Gan Jiayue.
The first car L7 will be released in the second quarter of this year
“Previously, we always heard the voice of users: why did they buy a green license plate car, but still have the face of a gasoline car?” said Gan Jiayue at the press conference.
At the same time, a set of big-mouthed competitive plug-in hybrid models appeared on the screen behind Gan Jiayue.
“Is it that no one thought of it, or is it that no one has done it?” Gan Jiayue announced that GAC Aion is launching the only same-level fully-enclosed intelligent electric-hybrid SUV with a closed grille – L7.
Gan Jiayue said that closing the grille is not easy. The Galaxy L7 uses a three-layer water cooling technology, which effectively solves the heat dissipation problem caused by the closed grille at the front and saves 30% of the air intake area. This is also thanks to the compact design of the Thunderbolt hybrid, with DHT PRO’s axial length being the shortest at 354 millimeters during the same period.
“Because of its compactness, it gave us enough space to arrange the wind deflector and high-power fan to solve the air intake problem. This is a systematic engineering,” said Gan Jiayue.
As an A-class electric-hybrid vehicle, the Galaxy L7 achieves both high performance and high efficiency.
Gan Jiayue introduced that whether it is city overtaking within 60-100 km or high-speed shift overtaking within 80-120 km, the acceleration of the Galaxy L7 is 20% faster than that of same-level vehicles. It can surpass all same-class hybrid models with a top speed exceeding 200 km/h, and has an acceleration of 6.9 seconds per 100 km and also supports leap start. The fuel consumption in deficit mode will also surpass all same-class hybrid models.
Gan Jiayue said that the Galaxy L7 is equipped with the highest production thermal efficiency of the Thunderbolt hybrid engine BHE15 Plus, which consumes only 5.23 liters per 100 km in terms of fuel consumption and has a comprehensive endurance of up to 1370 km, surpassing all same-level hybrid models.
“In terms of driving modes, we can achieve pure electric, extended-range, electric-hybrid, and performance modes. Choosing a Galaxy L7 is equivalent to having all driving modes of new energy vehicles.”
In addition, the Galaxy L7 is equipped with the flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chip and Galaxy NOS, which brings smart cabin experience with speed, interaction, and voice control.“`markdown
The intelligent cockpit of the Galaxy L7, according to Gan Jiayue, has the fastest system start-up speed, application opening speed, and voice wake-up speed among models at the same level.
In terms of space innovation, the Galaxy L7 has pushed the front passenger seat forward by 165 mm, releasing a maximum legroom of 630 mm, and with a super-long wheelbase of 2785 mm, it can easily accommodate passengers with long legs as tall as 1.8 meters even in the front passenger seat.
For front passenger users who lie down at a 125-degree angle, the Galaxy L7 adjusts the best angle of the front passenger screen and the distance from the eyes, together with the electric 4-way legrest and Harman Kardon sound system, to provide the best viewing experience.
The Galaxy L7 also uses the only top-mounted safety airbag at the same level, reducing the pop-up time from 0.06 seconds to 0.04 seconds through unique folding layout technology.
The Galaxy L7 has also invested heavily in safety. The Galaxy L7 uses the one-piece hot-formed boron steel door ring unique in the same level, and the front longitudinal beam also adopts the industry’s first three-leaf clover limited protection method. The car body is constructed with a unique four-longitudinal-four-horizontal body structure, creating a fortress for battery safety protection.
“Gan Jiayue said that the Galaxy L7 will surely become the first choice for high-quality intelligent travel for Chinese families.”
The Galaxy L7 will be delivered to users in the second quarter of this year. Gan Jiayue also announced that Geely’s Galaxy L7 has officially opened its pre-order, but the price has not yet been announced.
No price war, focuses on high value
“Only making high-value new energy vehicles.” This goal of Galaxy came from Geely’s summary of the competitive rules of domestic and foreign automobile brands.
Gan Jiayue believes that “Chinese brands have never lacked price advantages. Of course, history has repeatedly proved that if we do not focus on value, quality, and technology, it is impossible to win users’ favor for a long time.”
Starting from the mid-to-high-end market competition of traditional fuel vehicles, Geely began to attack this market around 2014 when foreign and joint venture brands occupied it comprehensively. It proposed the brand mission of “making a premium car for everyone” and insisted on user-centricity and technology innovation. Focusing resources, it strives to develop premium car models with high quality, high technology, and high added value.
Subsequently, the launch of the Geely Borui GE and other 3.0 era premium car models helped Geely achieve three consecutive jumps in sales. Beginning in 2017, it has continuously exceeded one million in sales for six years in a row, achieving the market through innovation and value.
Therefore, for the mid-to-high-end market of new energy vehicles, Gan Jiayue believes that the new energy vehicle market has entered a new stage of value creation. Only by taking the all-in spirit to continuously achieve technological breakthroughs can the new energy market move toward a positive development path with high value growth.
“`After the press conference, Geely Auto Sales Company General Manager Fan Junyi, Geely Brand Research Institute Executive Vice President Yi Xinyu, and the media had a discussion.
Fan Junyi revealed that Geely Galaxy will be positioned between 200,000 and 300,000 yuan.
Compared with other brands or series, the positioning of JiKe is a brand for luxury pure electric vehicles priced above 300,000 yuan. Lynk & Co is a brand jointly launched by Geely and Volvo to focus on the high-end market in China. Geely’s other pure-electric intelligent products under the Geometry series are positioned between 50,000 and 150,000 yuan. Galaxy is a series of mid-to-high-end intelligent new energy products. Geely’s other traditional fuel and plug-in hybrid models constitute the JiXing series.
In the 200,000 to 300,000 yuan range, the competition in the new energy vehicle market is also intense. In the price war at the beginning of 2023, Tesla Model 3 and Model Y in the 200,000 to 300,000 yuan range reduced their prices by 20,000 to 48,000 yuan, with starting prices of 229,900 and 259,900 yuan, respectively, setting a historic low.
However, Fan Junyi stated that Galaxy will exclude price competition and move towards value and service competition.
When introducing the Galaxy L7 at the Ganjia Yue, various “best in the same class” expressions were used to indicate that consumers will accept higher prices for higher value-the L7 is only an A-SUV, if also in the 200,000 to 300,000 yuan range, it can be considered relatively expensive. The current best-selling new energy SUV, BYD Song PLUS, is priced between 150,000 and 200,000 yuan.
Yi Xinyu stated that the so-called high value means bringing more experience and higher enjoyment through technology.
The Galaxy series uses a series of Geely’s self-developed core technologies, which are superior to competitors in safety, performance, quality, intelligence, and other aspects. “For every car in the Galaxy series, we are confident in making it a benchmark in every sub-segment of the market,” Yi Xinyu said.
He also said that high value does not mean high cost. Many of the technologies released by Geely Galaxy come from Geely’s own research and development, which is more economical than solutions that rely on suppliers. In terms of core components, Geely also has its own layout. Including battery cells, as Ganjia Yue mentioned, Geely and the world’s leading battery companies have established joint ventures.## Striving to Become the Leading Brand in the First Tier
Fan Junyi revealed that the channel of Geely Galaxy is independent of the Geely brand, and will create a Geely-themed agency dealership system, while setting up a brand center for Geely Galaxy in first- and second-tier cities.
Geely Galaxy has an overall plan for 650 channels, and “this year, we hope to have 350 to 400 channels completed.”
The top 30 cities with new energy vehicle sales account for about 50% of the total sales. “We hope to lay out quickly.” For cities ranked 31 to 100, the principle of Galaxy’s development plan is priority development, while for cities ranked below 100 to 150, the principle is steady and gradual development.
Regarding sales figures, Fan Junyi did not give a specific number. However, he stated: “(Sales) must become the leading force in every segmented market, and I want to become a benchmark in this segmented market. This is also a flag we set internally.”
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.