Incoming Galaxy Cruiser is currently in concept form, but production car will be twinned with Lotus Eletre PHEV
Chinese car giant Geely is going after the Land Rover Defender and Mercedes-Benz G-Class with the Galaxy Cruiser – and it will be coming to the UK, the car maker has told Autocar.
The SUV – which first appeared at the Shanghai Auto Show last year – is currently in concept form but is very close to production, said design studio director Flavien Dachet, with sales due to start in its home market by the end of the year.
While no concrete date for exports have been set, Yan Tianxiao, Geely Auto UK’s marketing boss confirmed that “we will definitely launch that car in the UK”.
The car shares the same SEA-R platform as the incoming Lotus Eletre plug-in hybrid – the hybrid version of Lotus’s EV which is due to be fully revealed later this month – and the Zeekr 9X.
While those cars are luxury offerings, Dachet said that the platform also offers impressive off-road capabilities, with the concept pushing the underpinnings to their limit. “When they went testing in Chinese deserts, it was way beyond what they expected to do in terms of capacity,” he said.
Indeed, the concept is fitted with a host of features which showcase its off-road capabilities. For example, it features independent active suspension that controls each wheel individually – handy for off road applications and low grip environments – a 800mm wading depth, and steer-, and brake-by-wire technology.
The Galaxy Cruiser also uses AI-power to assist with ADAS functions; while it won’t counteract a command from the driver, it will, said Geely, highlight obstacles, and point out ways to keep safe should the worst happen.
In production form, the Galaxy Cruiser is expected to use the same hybrid powertrain as its two siblings, which is centred around a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and offers up to an electric-only range of up to 220 miles thanks to a 70kWh battery – although this figure is according to China’s CLTC test cycle, which is more generous than the WLTP standard used in Europe.
In the 9X this set up utilises three electric motors, which would give Geely’s SUV four-wheel drive. While power figures are still under wraps, it is expected to be lofty, given the 9X puts out 1381bhp, and the Eletre is expected to pack 912bhp.
The concept, and eventual car, marks a new direction for Geely – the rugged, off road space is one yet to be explored by the manufacturer – and Dachet admitted that the team took inspiration from other models already on sale for the 4x4s design. “There’s always the same recipes whether you look at the Defender, the G Wagen, the Bronco, the codes are the same,” he admitted, before adding: “It’s how we interpret it in a way that’s recognisable.”
Dachet noted, however, that unlike those cars mentioned, Geely’s SUV is geared less towards the rugged end of the market and more at luxury and family buyers.
