- Geely Xingyuan competes with China’s best-selling electric vehicles such as BYD Seagull and Tesla Model Y.
- In just 14 months after the launch, Geely sold more than half a million units of the Xingyuan.
- It will likely end the year as the best-selling electric car in China and one of the best-selling electric models in the world.
A new electric car is taking the Chinese car market by storm, and it’s selling at a rate that would make BYD and Tesla nervous.
Geely AutoThe sister company to Volvo, Polestar and ZCR under the umbrella of Geely Group, launched the Xingyuan small electric hatchback in China last October. In a short period of time, it has already become one of the best-selling electric models in China.
It even took down BYD Seagull and Tesla Model Y The best-selling electric car in China In the first half of this year, with more than 200 thousand units sold. From January to November, Geely sold approx 430,000 units of Xingyuan, more than any other electric car. What does it give?
Photo by: Gilly
For starters, the Xingyuan appears to offer amazing value on paper, even outperforming popular Chinese electric cars like the BYD Nawraswhich has long ruled the affordability game.
The 2026 Xingyuan starts at around $9,700 (68,800 yuan), and extends to $12,340 for the range-topping version, putting it in a similar price range to its main rival, the Seagull. For that money, which isn’t much even by Chinese standards, it offers the latest software, interior space that beats the competition, high-quality materials inside, plus… Many Chinese reviewers noted.
It is based on Geely’s dedicated electric vehicle platform for affordable models, called Sustainable Experience Engineering Entry (SEA-E). Buyers get two CATL lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery options: 30 kWh and 40 kWh.
Photo by: Gilly
The smaller package offers a range of up to 310 kilometers (192 miles), while the larger battery is good for 410 kilometers (254 miles) on the China Light Vehicle Test Cycle (CLTC), which tends to be more forgiving than the EPA system in the United States. The real-world range is likely to be less.
But China has the world’s largest charging network, which means electric cars with less range have more appeal when you have chargers everywhere. According to some EstimatesThere are now two chargers for every five cars in China. The network itself has exceeded 16 million connectors, most of them private.
Range anxiety may still exist in China, but not for EV drivers. Gas car owners now face a Shrinking network of gas stationsThousands are expected to close by the end of the decade.
Other areas where Geely outshines the competition includes the chassis. It’s rear-wheel drive and gets an independent rear suspension for a more mature ride, a rarity for affordable small cars, which typically come in a front-wheel-drive configuration. The Seagull is front-wheel drive and has a less complex torsion beam suspension at the rear.
Photo by: Gilly
It also borrows the same Flyme Auto smart cockpit system from Geely’s much more expensive cars, with things like a 14.1-inch infotainment screen and an 8.8-inch digital gauge cluster. It also has a 375-litre boot and 70-litre boot capacity, which is more than the Volkswagen Golf, which is a much larger car.
However, Geely seems to have turned some corners. The Xingyuan has no rear wipers and the front wipers do not have an automatic function. There is no automatic air conditioning either, only manual. But these things seem trivial when you look at the overall package. The sales numbers speak for themselves.
In the 14-odd months since its launch in October 2024, Geely has already sold its cars More than half a million units From the hatchback. It was also the third best-selling electric vehicle in the world in the first three quarters of this year, behind the Tesla Model Y and Model 3, according to autovista24.
If its current sales trajectory continues through the end of the year, it will not only become the best-selling EV in China, but will also likely steal second place from the Model 3, given the expected slowdown in US EV sales in the fourth quarter of the year.
Do you have any advice? Contact the author: suvrat.kothari@insideevs.com
