Prado rival among five new Geely models confirmed for Aus

At least five new models will be launched by Geely in Australia over the next 18 months as the Chinese brand prepares to enter key segments it has so far left untouched, including the lucrative large 4x4 space.

Speaking with carsales at Geely’s Hangzhou headquarters, Geely Auto Australia CEO Alex Gu confirmed the brand will follow-up its EX5 and Starray EM-i pair with the affordable EX2 electric hatchback in the third quarter of 2026.

The rollout will intensify in 2027, with at least one model launch per quarter. A sedan will join three new SUV models for Australia increasing Geely’s model count from two to seven.

The new EX2 will be the first cab off the rank as Geely’s new entry model and a rival for the BYD Dolphin. The rear-drive hatch is built with a 30kWh LFP battery, 250km range (WLTP estimate) and 58kW of power, or as a ‘high-output’ 40kWh grade with 330km range and output of 85kW.

At times the best-selling car in China, Gu said the EX2 has proven itself in export markets like Thailand and Mexico and is preparing to price it sharply to quickly build sales volume.

After that, Geely’s 2027 rollout gets busy. Gu said the brand would bring a bigger five-seat SUV in the first half of the year, understood to be the Monjaro, a more premium crossover that will slot in above the Starray EM-i to target the Mazda CX-60.

Geely updated the Monjaro with the brand’s new i-HEV plugless hybrid system, which delivers claimed economy of 4.8L/100km and a 0-100km/h time of 8.3 seconds.

A large seven-seat SUV is also on the cards for the first half of 2027 though Gu would not be drawn on the specific model. The Geely Galaxy M9 has been ruled out because it has not yet been engineered for right-hand drive, a costly and time-consuming process.

The answer might be the Geely Okavango, a petrol-powered seven-seater that Geely already exports to Middle East markets – though a hybrid system would need to be added to the model, with Gu confirming Geely is not interested in pure-ICE for Australia.

Once the road-going SUVs are established, Geely will turn its attention to its most important launch yet in the form of a hybrid-powered Toyota Prado rival.

“Boxy-style models are a very popular segment…I think it will help us add sales,” said Gu.

That model will be the Geely Galaxy Cruiser, a plug-in hybrid 4x4 expected to sit atop Geely’s newly announced off-road platform that fits a rear differential lock, supports 800mm wading, and has twin rear motors (and a single motor) for up to 745kW of power.

Gu said that sedan demand is not dead and that Australians are simply not offered “the more advanced, more technological sedans” seen in China.

To that end, Geely will add the hybrid Emgrand to the range in 2027, at first with an EM-i PHEV system producing 230kW of power and promised to be frugal, with a consumption claim of 2.2L/100km.

The rapid rollout is central to Geely’s plan to become Australia’s top-selling Chinese brand by the end of the decade.

To do so, it will need to overtake the likes of MG and BYD. Certainly, Geely’s current twin-mid-size SUV line-up will be insufficient to get the job done.

With a city car, larger SUVs and a sedan all pencilled in, what is missing from the plans is a small SUV to take on the BYD Atto 3 and Toyota Corolla Cross.

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