- Second Geely SUV for New Zealand market.
- Super hybrid technology with 83km EV range, 943km total.
- Priced to compete with conventional ICE SUVs.
New Zealand Geely distributor NordEast (also Volvo, Polestar, Lotus, Zeekr and Farizon) says sub-$50k pricing for the new Starray EM-i plug-in “super hybrid” SUV represents price parity with internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, and is the first significant step towards its goal of achieving 5000 new-vehicle sales in NZ by 2030.
Geely Starray is a companion SUV to the EX5 launched back in March. It’s slightly larger (at 4740mm, 140mm longer), but the key difference is the powertrain: while EX5 is pure-electric, Starray is a “super hybrid” that matches an 18.4kWh battery with a 1.4-litre petrol engine, giving 83km EV range (WLTP) and an overall 943km in hybrid mode.
Starray EM-i is $45,990 in entry Complete specification, or $49,950 in top Inspire form. The smaller EX5 EV sells for $49,990-$53,990.
From now until the end of the year, Geely is also offering premium paint (all colours except white are normally $950), 3 years servicing and 15,000km Road User Charges on the Starray, free-of-charge.
Accord to NordEast group general manager Dane Fisher, plug-in cars like Starray that sell at ICE prices are the only way to achieve those 5000 sales: “Geely is the core of this strategy. This is our halo product of that vision”.
"The super hybrid segment is still in its infancy. We need NZers to understand that with this technology… you can drive to work and back during the week [on EV power], and then if you want to go to the beach house or whatever, the generator will start working.”
Super hybrid technology is a common denominator for many new Chinese brands, including BYD and Chery (including its sub-brands Omoda and Jaecoo). It offers much longer EV range than traditional plug-in hybrids, and the combustion engine is secondary, mainly acting as a generator.
While you can still charge the battery by plugging in, a key part of the super-hybrid concept is for the petrol engine to make electricity.
“Geely is not unique with this,” says Fisher. “But the technology is coming, it will be significant and we believe it will challenge traditional hybrid technology for market share.
“This car at this price with this technology is going to supercharge the super hybrid segment.”
Both Starray models have the same 73kW/125Nm petrol engine and 160kW/262Nm electric motor. Combined power is 193kW.
The battery can be DC charged (at a public station in other words), although the maximum charge rate is only 30kW. AC charging (on a home wallbox, for example) is up to 6.6kW.
Geely NZ brand manager Jordan Haines calls the flagship Starray Inspire a “no brainer” over the Complete (currently, 90% of EX5 buyers are going for the top model).
For an extra $3500, the Starray Inspire adds upsized 19-inch wheels, panoramic glass roof with sunshade, power tailgate, front parking sensors (rear and a 360-degree camera are standard on both models), 256-colour interior lighting, ventilated/memory front seats, head-up display and 1000W Flyme 16-speaker audio system.”
Logical rivals for the Starray EM-i include other Chinese super hybrids such as the BYD Sealion 6 and Chery Tiggo 7. But Haines says the Geely is aiming at a much broader customer base: “We’re not narrowing ourselves to just plug-in hybrid competitors. We also want to look at hybrid and ICE. The reality is we’ve got the product and price to draw people into this technology.”
