Geely’s Starship 7 EV hits market at under $15,000 in latest push into budget electric SUV segment

• Geely Galaxy launched the Starship 7 EV electric SUV with a limited-time starting price of 99,800 yuan ($14,730).
• The aggressively priced compact SUV is a sibling model to the popular Starship 7 EM-i hybrid.

Geely Galaxy, a brand under Geely Auto (HKEX: 0175), officially launched the Starship 7 EV on Wednesday, stepping up its push into the mass-market electric vehicle segment with an aggressive pricing strategy.

The compact electric sport utility vehicle (SUV) is available in four variants, with official guide prices ranging from 109,800 yuan to 129,800 yuan.

After factoring in a 6,000-yuan trade-in subsidy and a 4,000-yuan insurance subsidy, its limited-time prices drop to between 99,800 yuan ($14,730) and 119,800 yuan.

The Starship 7 EV is a sibling model to the Starship 7 EM-i plug-in hybrid SUV already on sale. Built on Geely’s GEA (Global Intelligent New Energy Architecture), it marks Geely Galaxy’s latest effort to round out its all-electric lineup.

The new model offers two lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery packs with capacities of 60.22 kWh and 68.39 kWh, delivering CLTC ranges of 525 km and 605 km, respectively.

The vehicle adopts a front-mounted single-motor layout, producing a maximum power of 160 kW (215 hp) and a peak torque of 320 Nm. It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.3 seconds, with energy consumption as low as 12.4 kWh per 100 km.

Thanks to an 800-volt high-voltage platform, the new model can charge from 30% to 80% in just 20 minutes. It also supports 3.3-kW vehicle-to-load discharging, as well as a 6-kW vehicle-to-vehicle charging function that is rare in its class.

The Starship 7 EV measures 4,750 mm in length, 1,905 mm in width, and 1,680 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2,755 mm.

Its cockpit runs the Flyme Auto smart infotainment system, featuring a 15.4-inch central touchscreen and a 13.8-inch head-up display.

The new model competes with rivals including the Changan Nevo Q05 and the Deepal S05, and is poised to be a strong contender in the 100,000-yuan family electric SUV segment.

The launch of the Starship 7 EV comes as the Geely Galaxy brand faces mounting pressure. The brand sold 81,727 vehicles in May, down 19.75% year-on-year, marking its fifth consecutive month of year-on-year sales declines, according to data compiled by CnEVPost.

Geely Auto as a whole sold 237,637 vehicles in May, up a modest 1.03% from a year earlier. Its battery electric vehicle sales fell 19.37% year-on-year, while plug-in hybrid sales rose 31.97%.

The updated Geely Xingyuan has a limited-time starting price of 61,800 yuan ($9,130), a 6% reduction from its predecessor.

($1 = 6.7753 yuan)