Geely Galaxy Starship 7 PHEV Debuts in China – Up to 1,430 KM Range

The Geely Galaxy Starship 7 breaks cover as a PHEV SUV with up to 1,430 KM of range. Future Proton eMas PHEV?

Following the unveiling of its official images last month, Chinese automotive giant Geely has launched its new, long-anticipated plug-in hybrid (PHEV) SUV, the Galaxy Starship 7. This new PHEV SUV model is essentially a partially combustion-powered version of the Geely Galaxy E5 EV SUV—the donor model for the Proton eMas 7.

Underpinning the same Global Intelligent New Energy Architecture (GEA) as both the E5 and eMas 7, the Starship 7 is powered by Geely’s latest NordThor EM-i PHEV powertrain setup, which uses a 1.5-litre 4-cyl naturally-aspirated petrol mill rated at 110 HP and 136 NM as its core.

Said petrol mill is mated to a unique 11-to-1 electrified dedicated hybrid transmission (e-DHT), which combines an integrated starter-generator (ISG) motor and a dedicated drive e-motor to allow the Starship 7 a 0-100 KM/H sprint time of 7.5 seconds, en route to its electronically-limited V-Max of 180 KM/H.

Battery-wise, the Starship 7 is offered with two battery options, both of which are Geely’s proprietary Aegis 'short blade’ lithium iron phosphate (LFP) units. The baseline model packs a smaller 19.09-kWh unit that provides 101 KM of EV-only range (CLTC), while the top-spec model houses a larger 28.94-kWh unit with up to 150 KM of EV-only range (CLTC).

Together with the petrol engine, the Starship 7 boasts a combined travel range of up to 1,420 KM (CLTC), while fuel consumption is rated at 3.75 litres per 100 KM, Geely claims.

Like many other newer PHEVs, the Starship 7 also supports DC fast charging at 36 kW, a 30-80% charge to be completed in about 20 minutes. At the same time, said battery can also be used to power up small electrical appliances thanks to the Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) functionality it comes standard with.

On the design front, the Starship 7 boasts some similar design features as its all-electric twin, albeit in a slightly larger form. Key design features include a grill-less front face with sharp LED headlights and a wide lower air intake, full-width LED taillights, conventional door handles instead of the flushed ones on the E5, as well as a sleek SUV silhouette that boasts a low drag coefficient rate of 0.228 Cd.

Dimension-wise, the Starship 7 is positioned slightly above the E5, with this midsize PHEV SUV measuring 4,740 MM long, 1,905 MM wide, 1,685 MM tall, and a wheelbase of 2,755 MM.

Inside, the Starship 7 gets a pretty familiar and minimalist cabin with a symmetrical T-shaped layout laced with premium upholstery and chrome trims. Predictably, some similarities to the E5 can be found here, notably the double-spoke, flat-bottomed steering wheel, a 14.6-inch central infotainment screen powered by the FlyMe Auto smart cockpit system, a 13.8-inch W-HUD, a 16-speaker Flyme Sound audio system, and many more.

Pre-sales for the new Geely Galaxy Starship 7 are slated to begin on Nov 8, although no exact prices were given by the automaker, at least for now. Given that the Starship 7 is essentially a PHEV twin to the E5, there’s a high chance that national automaker Proton might use this SUV as the base for its first-ever PHEV SUV model.