1 month ago
31
Geely Auto Australia has opened its public registration website – including basic specs – for its Tesla Model Y rival due in local showrooms in 2025.
Chinese car brand Geely is gearing up for a return to Australia with the Geely EX5 electric SUV due next year, after switching on its public registration site and confirming key details ahead of its Tesla Model Y competitor’s arrival in the first half of 2025.
The EX5 electric SUV – similar in size to a Toyota RAV4 – will be the first Geely sold in Australia in more than a decade after the car maker officially announced plans to offer Geely-branded vehicles here in November 2024.
The Chinese car giant already sells cars here, as it owns Volvo, Polestar, Lotus and Zeekr – all offered in Australia – as well as a 50 per cent stake with Mercedes-Benz in a revitalised Smart brand which returned to Australia in 2024.
The new Geely Australia website confirmed the EX5 – due here by the middle of 2025 – will be powered by a front axle-mounted 160kW/320Nm electric motor enabling a 0-100km/h sprint in 6.9 seconds.
Its ‘Aegis short-blade’ lithium iron phosphate battery pack – offered in 49.52kWh and 60.22kWh sizes overseas – provides local cars with a 420km claimed range based on European WLTP testing, and a claimed 20-80 per cent top-up after 20 minutes of fast charging.
No further details for Australia were confirmed, with the model line-up and detailed specification still to be announced.
The website images show the right-hand drive EX5 riding on 19-inch alloy wheels, as well as the cabin’s leather-look seating, a 15.4-inch centre display and 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster.
Launched in China as the ‘Galaxy EX5’ in August 2024, the electric SUV uses the Geely Electric Architecture (GEA) underpinnings with the same 2750mm wheelbase – the distance between the front and rear axles – as the Kia EV5.
At 4615mm long, 1901mm wide and 1670mm, the EX5 sits between the Kia and best-selling Tesla Model Y in terms of size, with all five EX5 models sold in China using the 160kW/320Nm front axle-mounted electric motor which will come here.
In China, the EX5 undercuts the Tesla Model Y’s price in China by around 40 per cent, with the Model Y starting at $55,900 before on-road costs in Australia and the Kia EV5 from $56,770 before on-road costs.
While the price difference is unlikely to directly transfer to Australia, it suggests the Geely will be cheaper than both key rivals when it lands here.
The news comes only weeks after seven partners in Australia – and one in New Zealand – were announced to kick-start the car maker’s dealer network heading into 2025.
Ahead of its launch, the EX5 was shown alongside the E8 electric premium large sedan, suggesting it may be an export model making it a candidate to become the second Geely electric car sold here.
