Geely plans ute, SUVs and hatch for Australia

GEELY Australia (GAU) is weighing up how to bring a heavy-duty ute to Australia as part of a plan to field six models in the local market by the end of 2027.

“We understand that Australians like utes, and the ute (segment) is one of the biggest segments in the market,” local Geely chief Lei Li told GoAuto.

“If we want to be a big player in the market, definitely, we need (a ute). We need a product to fit the segment … long driving range, towing capacity, loading (payload) capacity, and off-roading—that is definitely the demand, from my point of view.

Although the battery electric (BEV) Geely Radar RD6 (rebadged Riddara 6 outside China) is available to GAU, it does not fit the bill for Australia due to its estimated 420km (WLTP) range and more limited payload and towing capacities.

“Riddara, at this moment, is not our strategy,” Mr Li said. “The existing model is not our strategy for the Australian market. … We want to bring the best, and best-value, ute to the market. This is under investigation.

Speculation centres on a next-generation Geely Radar pick-up that is wider, heavier-duty and utilises a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain promising around 1000km combined driving range and the 3500kg braked towing capacity that Australian ute buyers expect.

Beyond a ute model, Geely’s local team is finalising plans to introduce small and large SUVs from 2026. The earliest launch timing of the next Geely model is February 2026, with two different small SUV nameplates understood to be in contention alongside a single large SUV model.

The compact crossovers are the Geely Auto Cowboy, a 4350mm-long model available in China with a 48-volt mild-hybrid turbo petrol engine, and the longer Geely Auto Cityray, which skips the mild hybrid—reducing its chances for Australia.

At the opposite end of the SUV spectrum, the forthcoming Geely Galaxy M9 (potentially to be badged the Geely Starship EM-P) looms as the brand’s three-row flagship in Australia.

With imposing length of 5205mm and packing Geely’s sophisticated Thor EM-P PHEV system with up to 650kW combined power and 1200km combined range (WLTP estimate), the Starship would represent a significant step up in specification compared to today’s Geely EX5 BEV and Starray EM-i PHEV.

A hatchback model is also being assessed, with the Geely Auto Starwish tipped as the strongest current candidate. The 4135mm-long BEV hatch offers Chinese buyers a choice of two LFP battery pack sizes (30kWh/40kWh) with up to 330km (WLTP estimated) range.

While “new energy” products (meaning BEV and PHEV) have led the charge for GAU so far, Mr Li confirmed that lesser hybrids have not been ruled out.

“If Geely wants to be a big player in the market, we have to cover all the ranges and segments,” he told GoAuto.

“In the future, we will come (to Australia) with more products to cover the different segments, and mainly focus on new energy vehicles—EVs, PHEVs, and probably (full, plug-less) hybrids.”

Once the SUV segments are filled out in Geely’s Australian showrooms, alongside the anticipated ute and hatchback models, Mr Li indicated that a sedan remains on his long-term wish list.

“Sedans still have about 10 per cent market share in Australia, which is not small,” he said.

Geely Australia’s expansion is being co-ordinated with input from across its Chinese sub-brands, including Geely Auto for ICE and hybrid vehicles, Geely Galaxy for PHEV and BEV models, and Radar for utes.