Geely Galaxy Opens Cruiser 700 PHEV Pre-Sales in China From $29,530

• The Cruiser 700 is Geely's first rugged off-road SUV, with pre-orders exceeding 43,900 within 60 minutes of pre-sales opening.
• The Cruiser 700 will compete for off-road SUV buyers with brands including BYD's Fang Cheng Bao and GWM's Tank.

Geely Auto (HKEX: 0175) sub-brand Geely Galaxy has opened pre-sales for the Cruiser 700, also known as the Zhanjian 700, expanding its lineup with its first rugged off-road SUV.

The plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) opened for pre-sales in China on Tuesday, starting at 199,800 yuan ($29,530), entering an off-road vehicle market that domestic brands are increasingly targeting.

The SUV offers 5 mainstream variants, with pre-sales prices reaching 269,800 yuan. A Land Ark special edition is priced at 389,800 yuan and limited to 700 units.

Shortly after the pre-sales event ended, Geely Galaxy said on Weibo that Cruiser 700 orders exceeded 10,000 within 9 minutes of pre-sales opening and topped 43,900 within 60 minutes. The 700 limited-edition units sold out within 12 minutes of the pre-sale opening.

The pre-order figures indicate early interest but do not equate to locked-in orders or final sales.

The mainstream Cruiser 700 variants announced include 2-wheel-drive and triple-motor 4-wheel-drive options, offering buyers a range of powertrains and prices.

The 2 variants with a 1.5-liter turbocharged engine and 2-wheel drive have pre-sales prices of 199,800 yuan and 209,800 yuan. The 2 triple-motor 4-wheel-drive variants with the same engine are priced at 229,800 yuan and 239,800 yuan.

The variant featuring a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine and triple-motor 4-wheel drive has a pre-sales price of 269,800 yuan. Its powertrain delivers a combined 830 kW (1,113 hp), with an official 0-100 km/h acceleration time of 3.95 seconds.

All variants feature a 47.14-kWh battery pack with lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells supplied by CATL (HKEX: 3750).

The mainstream 1.5-liter turbocharged 2-wheel-drive, 1.5-liter turbocharged triple-motor 4-wheel-drive, and 2.0-liter turbocharged triple-motor 4-wheel-drive variants have ranges of 305 km, 280 km, and 270 km, respectively.

The Cruiser 700 has a 5-seat layout, a length of 5,085 mm, and a wheelbase of 2,900 mm. Its boxy body, side-opening tailgate, and externally mounted spare tire retain traditional off-road styling.

The SUV features the Geely Afari Smart Driving (G-ASD) H7 driver assistance system and Flyme Auto 2 cockpit system, supporting parking-space-to-parking-space navigation assistance.

The model made its debut on July 24, and Geely Galaxy previously said it planned to formally launch it by year-end. The opening of pre-sales brings it a step closer to market.

The Cruiser 700 will compete for off-road SUV buyers with brands including Fang Cheng Bao under BYD (HKEX: 1211) and Tank under GWM (HKEX: 2333).

Geely Galaxy is using new models to broaden its market reach. Its monthly sales have returned to growth, though cumulative sales this year remain slightly below the year-earlier level.

The Galaxy brand sold 119,115 vehicles in August, up 7.63% year-on-year, marking its third consecutive month of annual growth, according to data compiled by CnEVPost.

Sales in the first 8 months totaled 746,705 vehicles, down 0.98% year-on-year, narrowing the decline from 5.22% in the first half.