Geely to bring ute, small SUV and large SUV to Australia in major product offensive

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Geely Australia chief executive Lei Li has confirmed that the Chinese brand remains committed to its plan to add four additional models to its local showrooms by the end of 2027, to join the electric (BEV) EX5 and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) Starray EM-i midsize SUV models.

Speaking with Chasing Cars, Li provided details on the next segments Geely Australia plans to enter now that its medium SUV push is substantially complete.

“We have small SUVs, hatchbacks and big SUVs to pick (from),” Li said.

“We will fulfil these segments in the next couple of years to make sure we are competitive in the (Australian) market in terms of the product line.”

Geely ute model with heavy towing and payload on the agenda

Asked whether a ute factored into Geely’s ‘six models in three years’ strategy, Li confirmed that the manufacturer is currently investigating how to bring a ute with adequate heavy-duty capability to Australia—hinting that this could be a next-generation Geely Radar pick-up.

“We understand that Australians like utes, and the ute (segment) is one of the biggest segments in the market,” Li told Chasing Cars.

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

Although Geely Australia has immediate access to the Geely Radar RD6 ute (called the Riddara 6 in some markets), this model is a BEV with approximately 420km range with limited towing and payload ratings.

“Riddara, at this moment, is not our strategy,” Li revealed. “The existing model is not our strategy for the Australian market at the moment.”

“We want to bring the best and best-value ute to the market. This is under investigation.”

A larger, next-generation Geely Radar ute is rumoured to usher in a powerful all-wheel drive PHEV powertrain for closer to 1000km total range, while also unlocking the 3500kg braked towing capacity expected in the Australian market. 

This could be the ute model on Li’s radar to add to the Geely Australia lineup by the end of 2027.

New small SUV and large SUV models for Geely Australia

While the specifics of the Geely ute model remain “under investigation”, the local team is currently making final arrangements to bring at least one small SUV, and one large SUV model, to Australia in 2026.

With the September 2025 Australian launch of the Geely Starray EM-i now complete, the marque is expected to take a breather on new releases until early 2026, with the Geely Australia boss stating that February to October is the right time to launch new models.

“We have small SUVs, hatchbacks and big SUVs for us to pick (from),” Li said. “At different timings, we will put different models (into the market). Let’s see next year.”

Li separately confirmed that his team can pick from Geely models sold under several different ‘umbrella brands’ in China. These comprise at least Geely Auto (which sells ICE and hybrid models), Geely Galaxy (which specialises in BEVs and PHEVs), and Radar (utes).

Geely Australia is likely to be considering two different small SUV options.

These include the Geely Auto Cowboy, which measures 4350mm long and is available with a 48-volt mild-hybrid turbo petrol engine producing 140kW/300Nm.

Another alternative is the Geely Auto Cityray, which is an upper-small SUV measuring 4510mm in length. The Cityray uses a non-hybrid 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine producing 135kW/290Nm.

On the large SUV front, the obvious contender is the Geely Galaxy M9 which could come to Australia as the Geely Starship EM-P. Like the existing Geely Australia products — the EX5 and Starray — the M9 comes from Geely’s Galaxy ‘new energy’ vehicle sub-brand.

The Starship is a 5205mm-long, three-row SUV that uses the upmarket Thor EM-P PHEV system producing up to 650kW of power with all-wheel drive with around 170km electric range and around 1200km total range.

Plugless hybrids and even a hatchback are on the cards

While Geely Australia has focussed its energy only on ‘new energy’ models so far (which it defines as BEVs and ‘super hybrid’ PHEVs), the marque is open to importing plugless hybrids to Australia.

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

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

Surprisingly, this lineup is also likely to include a hatchback model — possibly the Geely Auto Starwish, a compact BEV hach that measures 4135mm in length (similar to a Volkswagen Polo) and is available with 30kWh and 40kWh LFP batteries providing up to 330km range.

Once the small, midsize and large SUV segments — plus a ute and hatchback — are on sale in Australia Li retains aspirations of bringing a Geely sedan to Australia, too.

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