Despite the lure of some potential extra headlines, Geely says it wasn’t tempted to set the pricing of its new Starray EM-i plug-in hybrid medium SUV so it could elbow arch-rival Chery aside and claim the title of Australia’s cheapest PHEV.
Instead, pricing starts at $37,490 plus on-road costs for the Complete specification, rising to $39,990 plus ORCs for the Inspire.
That means the $39,900 drive-away Chery Tiggo 7 Urban Super Hybrid medium SUV remains the cheapest plug-in hybrid on-sale in Australia today, once on-road costs are taken into account for the Starray EM-i Complete.
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A Geely Australia senior executive explained why the company didn’t go for the headlines dropping the price below the Chery would have delivered.
“We’re never looking to be the cheapest car in the segment, that’s never our ambition,” he said at a media event to announce the pricing.
“We’re positioned to be offering a premium product, as you can see. But the price point needs to be attainable, and that’s the main focus.
“So where does the market sit at the moment? How do we make this attainable? That’s the price to be landed on in order for us to get very good traction.
“But we’re never searching for the headline of being the cheapest because that title changes all the time.”
The Starray is significant for a couple of other reasons as well as its keen pricing.
Firstly, Australia is the first export market for the car outside China. It is also the first combustion-engined car Geely has launched here following on from the EX5 electric medium SUV, which also has razor sharp pricing.
The arrival of the Geely Starray duo means even more heated competition in the plug-in SUV $40,000-$50,000 space between a whole slew of Chinese rivals.
In addition to Chery and Geely, they include the top-selling BYD Sealion 6, the Jaecoo J7, GWM Haval H6, Leapmotor C10 (actually a range-extender rather than a PHEV) and the MG HS Super Hybrid.
The vehicle that started the PHEV trend, the Mitsubishi Outlander, is now struggling with its current run-out $57,990 drive-away pricing.
Here’s how the cheapest model in each range line up. On-road pricing is based on a Melbourne 3000 post code. There’s no on-road pricing available for the Geely so we’ve gone with 10 per cent, although its likely a tad high.
Chery Tiggo 7 Super Hybrid – $39,990 d/a
Geely Starray EM-i Complete – $37,490 plus ORCs ($41,239)
BYD Sealion 6 Essential – $42,990 plus ORCs ($44,400)
GWM Haval H6 Lux PHEV – $44,990 d/a
Jaecoo J7 SHS – $47,990 d/a
Leapmotor C10 REEV Style– $43,888 plus ORCs ($46,890)
MG HS Super Hybrid Excite – $50,990 d/a
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV – $57,990 d/a
The incentive to buy the Geely will be temporarily sweetened by two deals; a $1000 ‘deposit contribution’ that ends September 30 and a premium offer that expires November 30.
The latter offer packages up a Mode 2 home charging cable worth $385, premium paint ($600) and a choice of three year/45,000km complementary servicing or Geely Finance 3.88 per cent comparison rate.
Both Starrays are powered by a 1.5-litre four-cylinder naturally-aspirated engine combined with two e-motors and an 18.4kWh LFP battery. And yep, like several other Chinese auto makers, Geely calls its system Super Hybrid.
Power output through the front wheels is 160kW, the claimed EV range 83km and the claimed combined range 943km. Claimed average fuel economy is a highly theoretical 2.4L/100km on minimum 95RON petrol.
Starray will enter dealers for test drives in late September and be available for delivery in October.
Below we’ve listed key equipment fitted to both vehicle.
Geely Starray EM-I Complete
$37,490 plus ORCs
18-inch Alloy Wheels LED Headlights
Taillights And Daytime Running Lights
15.4-inch Infotainment Screen
10.2-inch Digital Instrument Cluster
Wireless Apple Carplay
Wireless Android Auto (via Q1 2026 OTA)
Satellite Navigation
Six-speaker Sound System
Automatic Climate Control
Powered Front Seats
Heated Seats (Front Row)
7 Airbags (2 Front, 2 Side, 2 Curtain and 1 Centre)
Multi-Collision Braking System
High Beam Assist
Rear Parking Sensors
Surround View Monitor with 3D Vehicle View
Low Speed Pedestrian Alert
Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB)
Hill Descent Control (HDC)
Adaptive Cruise Control
Intelligent Cruise Control
Seatbelt Reminders
Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Brake
Collision Mitigation Support Front and Rear
Lane Keeping Assistant
Traffic Sign Information
Door Open Warning
Lane Changing Assist
Blind Spot Detection
Emergency Lane Keeping Assist
Occupant Detection Alert
Driver Fatigue Alert
Geely Starray EM-I Inspire
$39,990 plus ORCs
Exclusives and upgrades:
19-inch Alloy Wheels
Panoramic Powered Sunroof
13.4-inch Head-Up Display
Wireless Smartphone Charging
16-Speaker Flyme Sound System
Power Tailgate
Front Parking Sensors
256 Colour Ambient Lighting
Front Seat Ventilation
Driver’s Seat Memory
