Geely spies sedan opportunities

DESPITE the decline of the passenger car segment, Geely still sees opportunities in the sedan space, targeting buyers looking to buck the SUV trend with its incoming Emgrand L EM-i plug-in hybrid according to its local director of product planning and marketing Andrew Tuitahi.

Prior to the decline of the segment throughout the 2010s and the 2020s, conventional passenger cars stood at the forefront of Australian new vehicle sales.

In fact, the Holden Commodore was Australia’s best-selling model for 15 consecutive years until 2010 before being bested by the Mazda3 in 2011.

Fast forward to the present day and the passenger car segment – which encompasses hatchbacks, sedans, wagons, people movers and sports cars – continues to decline.

While passenger car sales during September increased slightly this year compared to the same month last year – up by 9.5 per cent – the segment is down a further 2.4 per cent in year-to-date figures.

Last year 164,847 passenger cars were sold in Australia based on VFACTS and Electric Vehicle Council Data. In 2010, that number was 592,122.

Despite this decline, Geely still sees opportunities in the sedan space for its Emgrand L EM-i plug-in hybrid, slated for launch in the first half of 2027, according to Mr Tuitahi.

“When it comes to Emgrand L EM-i, that's designed to target a slightly different market, but we think there is an opportunity for a more traditionally styled sedan with high technology and alternate fuel offerings,” he said while speaking with Australian media at the launch of the Starray EM-i All-Wheel Drive.

“There's a lot of metrics and a lot of research that we've conducted. Certainly, the response from customers is positive. The response from dealers is positive, and there are absolutely buyers who don't want to drive an SUV. They want something that looks a little bit more conventional, and they like that style of sedan.”

Geely isn’t the only Chinese brand to recently take a punt on the sedan segment with an electrified offering, although the Emgrand L EM-i will be among only a handful of plug-in hybrid sedan models from China offered locally.

When it comes to PHEV sedans, BYD leads the charge with its Seal 6, order books for which opened locally in April of this year alongside its wagon-bodied Touring counterpart, having fielded the battery electric Seal locally since late-2023.

Beyond PHEVs, MG-owned IM Motors launched its battery electric Tesla Model 3-rivalling IM5 in Australia last year, while GoAuto reported earlier this year that Xpeng plans to bring either the P7 sedan or P7+ fastback Down Under in 2027.

While Mazda is not a Chinese brand, it launched the 6e electric sedan – created in a joint venture with Chongqing-based Changan – in Australia earlier this year as the effective successor to the internal combustion-powered Mazda6 sedan and wagon.

The Emgrand L EM-i isn’t the only sedan model that can be found within Geely’s overseas portfolio.

If Geely chooses to expand its Australian sedan offerings to include battery electric models to take on the Tesla Model 3, it seems feasible that vehicles like the E8 and Galaxy TT could be potential candidates.

The E8 is offered in China with a choice of a 62kWh, a 67.8kWh, 75kWh, and 76kWh battery, offering between 575km and 700km of driving range on the CLTC cycle. Power and torque outputs are rated at between 250kW and 373Nm in the rear-wheel drive variants and 475kW and 710Nm in the all-wheel drive model.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy TT is available with either a 63.8kWh battery and a 75.2kWh battery, good for a variant-dependent CLTC driving range between 640km and 725km. In rear-wheel drive form it develops 245kW/320Nm in rear-wheel drive form, while the dual-motor Ultra model combines a 180kW/277Nm front motor and a 245kW/320Nm rear motor.

As for the Emgrand L EM-i, it will feature a PHEV powertrain featuring an 18.4kWh battery, good for an electric-only driving range of over 80km and a combined driving range north of 1000km on the WLTP cycle.

Pricing is yet to be officially confirmed, although as it is likely to rival the Seal 6, it could wear a price around the $35,000 - $40,000 mark.

The Emgrand L EM-i is one of three new Geely models confirmed for an Australian release in 2027, with the Monjaro EM-i SUV also hitting the market in the first half of next year, while the Battleship 700 off-roader arrives in the latter half of 2027.