China’s Geely Automobile Holdings introduced its latest hybrid technology on Wednesday, touting fuel efficiency and driving range metrics that surpass those of rival BYD, the leading player in China’s plug-in hybrid segment.
Named Leishen EM-i, Geely’s new system reportedly achieves fuel consumption of 2.62 litres per 100 km (62.1 miles) and a combined gasoline-electric range of 2,390.5 km, based on media test results.
Geely’s hybrid system will first feature in the Galaxy Starship 7 crossover, which Geely claims can attain fuel consumption of three litres per 100 km in real-world driving conditions.
The company stated that Leishen technology will also power Renault, Volvo, and Lotus vehicles in the future. BYD’s competing hybrid, launched in May, achieves 2.9 litres per 100 km with depleted batteries and offers a combined range of 2,100 km.
As China’s EV market growth slows amid economic challenges, Geely aims to close the gap with BYD, which leads the market with a 34.6% share, compared to Geely’s 7.4%. BYD’s strong sales performance in Q3 was driven by a 76% year-over-year surge in plug-in hybrid sales, totaling 685,830 vehicles.
