2026 Geely Starray Reviews

The cost of electric car charging has been the subject of much discussion.Fast charging remains one of the biggest hurdles to convincing potential buyers to make the EV switch.It is widely accepted fast charging an electric car is cheaper than filling up a petrol or diesel car.But just how much cheaper is it? The answer is complicated. There are several factors impacting the price you pay for public fast charging. The rate of pay is measured in dollars or cents per kWh. This rate fluctuates depending on whether you are charging in peak time or off-peak time, the same as with home electricity bills.The charger's kW output will impact how much you pay, generally the higher the max output the more you pay. There are circumstances where a slower rate of charge can be more expensive when comparing locations.This speed is altered if the terminal is charging multiple cars at once, but the price does not change. Unlike filling a fuel tank, an EV battery should rarely be fully charged, which is why manufacturers quote a 20 to 80 per cent charge time for DC charging.We’ve done our best to calculate how much it would cost for a 40kWh charge, which could equate to rougly 20 to 80 per cent for an average EV. This article only provides a rough guide and is not a wholly accurate representation of how much someone will pay to charge their EV. It only looks at DC charging of a minimum of 50kW. Charging station operators such as JOLT that only provide 25kW charging have not been included. Ampol has a major EV infrastructure outlay in Australia, but it does not publicly list its prices online, so it is not included. Tesla chargers can be used to charge non-Tesla cars, but are generally 10-15 cents more expensive than for a Tesla car.We have categorised charging rates into three categories. 50-75kW150kW-240kW300kW-plusTesla does not have a discernible number of available chargers for Sydney in the first two categories.Where a charging company has two or more power options within a band, the price per kWh has been averaged.The prices have been taken from the broader Sydney area during peak time on Wednesday 15th July 2026.Off-peak charging is more likely to be done using a home charger overnight.Price per kWh in Sydney NSW:Price for 40kWh

Aussies are going to be buying more Chinese cars than ever as exports boom.Our market is proving to be the perfect place for under-fire Chinese brands to move on from their oversaturated domestic market.Meanwhile, new Chinese government rules mean smaller Chinese automakers will have a better chance of becoming true competitors to bigger brands like BYD.Legislative changes have diminished the advantages of mass-production, reducing the profit on a single car sold for 200,000 yuan ($42,000) to just 3000 yuan (or $633) according to Auto Home.Brands now must look more closely at overseas markets, and Australia is standing out.Australia does not have a domestic car industry to protect so it does not impose the same expensive tariffs or rules as other markets, making it more attractive to some importers.Europe has had a series of up to 35 per cent tariffs in place on Chinese manufacturers importing EVs since late 2024 to encourage or protect local production.Thailand, one of the biggest car manufacturers in the world, has also introduced rules requiring two cars to be locally produced for every car imported.Chinese car exports surged by 65 per cent in the first half of 2026, with a whopping 5.1 million cars sold, via Auto Home.BYD and Chery have contributed nearly 2 million overseas sales between them so far this year.Virtually three-quarters of Chery’s total sales came from overseas in the first half of 2026.Many of these cars are coming to Australia as our market now sources more cars from China than it does from Japan.Nothing says this more than the current top 10 best-selling electric cars all being built in China. The BYD Sealion 7 electric mid-size SUV (from $54,000, before on-road costs) has been a raging success for the brand in Australia.Chery’s budget-friendly small SUVs the Tiggo 4 petrol/plugless hybrid (from $23,990, drive-away) and Jaecoo J5 EV ($36,990, drive-away) are some of the most popular cars on the roads today.The BYD Atto 1 hatchback is the cheapest new electric car in Australia, starting from $23,990 (before on-road costs). The larger Dolphin is also available from under $30,000.Chinese brands will continue to place further emphasis on Australia as they look to expand their local line-ups.Geely has already seen success with its EX5 electric mid-size SUV, but its methodical approach will see plenty more models hit showrooms in the next year.Brands like GAC and XPeng are also accelerating their launch plans as they feel the squeeze back home.

China’s Geely has signed a joint venture with Ford to begin shared production at the American carmaker’s production facility in Spain.The Chinese carmaker has conditionally agreed to acquire a 34 per cent stake in Ford’s Almussafes production plant near Valencia, Spain for €221 million (~A$360 million), per a filing with the Hong Kong Exchange.This newly established joint venture will begin in the first half of 2027, pending regulatory approvals, and allow for renovations to boost annual production capacity to 500,000 vehicles.As it currently stands, this Spanish production facility only produces the Ford Kuga, which was previously offered in Australia as the Escape. Production of this mid-size SUV will continue.Beyond this, Ford has confirmed it will produce a new, European-focused “member of the global Bronco family” at the Spanish production facility in 2028.Little details are known about this new European-focused Bronco model, but previous reports have indicated it will be smaller than the full-sized model and potentially offer both electric and hybrid options.Geely also plans to begin production of two electric SUVs at the Spanish production facility in 2028.At this stage it’s unclear what these models will be as the only electric SUV the Chinese carmaker currently offers in Europe is the E5, which is called the EX5 in Australia.Lastly, a new “multi-energy family crossover” designed by Ford and jointly developed with Geely will launch in 2028.No details about this vehicle have been announced yet, but Ford says it will be engineered with its “signature capabilities and driving dynamics”.Geely over the past few years has been scaling its operations in markets outside of China, including in Australia. In the first half of 2026 it sold a total of 474,228 vehicles in overseas markets, which is up 158 per cent year-on-year.In Australia the Chinese carmarker sold a total of 10,970 vehicles in the first half of 2026, which is up 494.6 per cent year-on-year. It is now the 18th best-selling brand Down Under.Geely is far from the only Chinese carmaker that has been acquiring unused production capacity from legacy carmakers.Chery recently signed a non-binding agreement with Nissan to explore contract manufacturing at the Japanese carmaker’s production facility in Sunderland, UK.Stellantis, which owns brands like Alfa Romeo, Fiat and Ram, among others, decided earlier this year to share its manufacturing plants in Spain and France with its Chinese partners Leapmotor and Dongfend, respectively.

The boss of a major dealer group has told CarsGuide how competing forces and the state of the economy is taking its toll on the new car industry despite record sales in 2026.Mark Beitz, the managing director of Bartons Motor Group said the record registration numbers released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries in its monthly VFACTs data wasn’t a true reflection of car sales in June as “excess inventory”, which was building up at an alarming pace on dealer lots gets cleared out.“There were a lot of cars which were already sold months prior being delivered in June, so that accounted for a massive spike, particularly in EV and plug-in hybrids,” he said.“There is an adoption trend for EV, we can see that - so for the first quarter you were seeing that natural sustainable growth in EVs.”But, referencing the wave of attention for electric cars in the last three months that stemmed from high fuel prices due to the war in Iran and Strait of Hormuz crisis, he said while dealer groups had "never seen anything like it" it wasn't a sustainable pace for EV sales in the long run.“People were only buying EVs for a month or so” he said.“There was a lot of aged EV stock in the country, this big surge, the panic buying, really cleared that up - but we sold those cars back in April and what we're seeing in VFACTs is deliveries.”“What we’ve seen since then - in May it started to wane and now new order intake is nothing like what we saw in April.”But with many global stockpiles of fuel, which were released onto the market to ease prices, reportedly set to run thin in the coming months, does Beitz think there could be a renewed rush on EVs and plug-ins?“My feeling is no” he said.“I think as a country what we’ve experienced is what’s going to happen - I don’t feel we’ll run out of fuel, there wasn’t Armageddon like people thought there was going to be, so I don’t see another huge surge. I don’t think we’ll see anything like that second quarter for the rest of the year.”“I think it will instead be an average of the first half of the year for the second half.”He said conditions going forward looked more bleak for the industry, as a combination of factors would make numbers seen in the first six months of 2026 more difficult to replicate going forward.“The industry is seeing some real challenges. The profitability is the lowest it’s ever been - overall the industry has had the lowest return in decades for the first half of the year - that’s unheard of."“There’s a number of factors. The economy is taking its toll - there’s excess inventory everywhere. You’ve only got to drive to the ports, there’s cars everywhere. So there’s an excess inventory issue that’s affecting our ability to retain revenue. Margins have fallen through the floor.”“The other thing which is a massive issue is that there are way too many brands, and only the same amount of buyers. Year-to-date there’s a small growth but it’s bugger all, and 65 per cent of the market is still ICE vehicles, and even there it’s declined.”But despite the intense competition and ultra-low price points coming to the market from new Chinese brands, Beitz was reasonably positive about the survival chances of so-called ‘legacy brands’.“They’ll find a way forward,” he said.“Nissan is a good example, they’ll have a portfolio, which resembles their traditional products like Navara and Patrol, but next year they’ll be bringing across a range of Chinese manufactured options.”He agreed that levels of interest for incoming Chinese-built cars from brands like Nissan seen across automotive media was being replicated by buyer interest at a dealer level.“I think they’re responding but they struggle to move as fast as the Chinese brands are arriving. But legacy brands are coming back, I think they might hold on to where they sit currently."However, he also added their footprint has likely permanently shrunk when it comes to retail space: “It will result in a re-allocation of already limited space for dealers like me.”Despite promising signs for EVs going forward - with many more younger buyers being attracted by lower price points from new brands, Beitz pointed out that non-EV market share is still 75 per cent of the total market, and 78 per cent for his network specifically.He believes combustion vehicles (including plugless hybrids) will continue to make up the majority of the market for years to come.

A new report has shed light on which electric vehicles (EVs) maintain the highest percentage of battery life over time.Swedish car marketplace Carla has published results from a study into battery life of electric cars, using data from 10,000 battery tests on EVs in Sweden between 2022 and 2026.The results may come as a surprise to some, with the best brand for battery health after 10,000km travelled being Kia, and the second best being Hyundai with 96.8 per cent and 95.4 per cent battery health, respectively.The next brands down were premium marques Mercedes-Benz (95 per cent) and BMW (94.5 per cent), with Ford (94.3 per cent) sitting above Geely Group brands Volvo (94.2 per cent) and Polestar (93.7 per cent).Volkswagen Group vehicles took up the next four positions, which in order included Audi (92.9 per cent), Skoda (92.6 per cent), VW (92.4 per cent) and Porsche (90.9 per cent).Tesla, which is often quoted as a brand with impressive battery degradation figures in other studies placed 12th in the Swedish study, with its cars maintaining 90.2 per cent battery health after 10,000km.The grouping of various brands together comes as little surprise given each parent company will source batteries from similar places and use familiar chemistries and heat management methods.Another graph from the same study shows average battery degradation between the first 50,000km (94.39 per cent) and the next 50,000km was negligible, at just over 2 per cent. Average battery health of the 10,000 cars tested by 100,000km was 92.35 per cent.More interesting is the breakdown by model, with the study showing the car with the least overall battery degradation was the Kia Niro EV, which maintained 97.25 per cent of its battery capacity.The Hyundai Kona Electric and Kia EV6 also scored well, with the next model down being the Volvo XC40 Recharge and Polestar 2.The popular Tesla Model Y also maintained 92.18 per cent of its battery capacity on average over 10,000km, although ranked 18th in the study, below many VW Group, BMW, and Geely Group products.It is worth noting that this study does not simply transfer across to the Australian market. Many of the EVs delivered to Sweden are built in Europe which often use different battery suppliers to the versions of the cars sold here.In addition, Sweden’s cool climate may produce different results to our hot climate, with different demands placed on temperature management systems, and different pressures placed on batteries while discharging or charging.However, more Australian cars using batteries from Chinese suppliers may actually be an advantage. Lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) batteries from CATL (China’s largest battery supplier) are now pervasive across EVs from many brands sold in Australia. The Swedish study compared the performance of these Chinese CATL LFP batteries, Korean LG Chem batteries and two different types of Japanese Panasonic batteries, all in the Tesla Model 3 to control for model differences.The CATL cells had the highest average battery health, maintaining 93.3 per cent, the LG Chem cells were next at 91.5 per cent, and the Panasonic NMC batteries ranked lower at 89.8 and 88.2 per cent respectively.One factor worth keeping in mind is BYD’s lack of a major footprint in Sweden despite launching there in 2022, leaving it off the study. Not only does this exclude BYD from the ranking system, but it also leaves its batteries out.BYD sells its signature LFP ‘Blade’ batteries to many brands for cars sold in Australia, including Kia, KGM, and even entry-level versions of the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y.The study confirms several things - battery degradation is often over-stated, with almost all cars maintaining over 90 per cent capacity at the 100,000km mark, and newer chemistries and temperature management systems are having a notable improvement on battery life across all makes and models.Previous stories of cars losing up to 50 per cent of their capacity were often limited to early-generation NMC batteries using air-cooled technology. Almost all new EVs sold, particularly in Australia, use liquid-cooled cells.In other good news for Aussie EV owners and those considering a second hand EV, the Carla study is not the first time EV batteries have performed better than expected when surveyed en-masse.In Australia, auction house Pickles recently shared data based on its battery health scoring which showed EVs with between 80- and 120,000km were maintaining a battery health score of around 91 per cent.

A new performance electric car is coming soon.The Geely Galaxy TT has opened for pre-sale in China, and will be the latest four-door electric sports coupe to hit showrooms.Coupe-style sports cars out of China are surging in popularity as cheaper alternatives to the Porsche Taycan and Audi e-Tron GT off the back of the smash-hit success of the Xiaomi SU7.The Geely Galaxy TT has a front-mounted 180kW motor and a rear-mounted 245kW motor that combine for a total of 425kW.It has a one-button boost mechanism that offers an increased power output for up to 20 seconds. The Galaxy TT can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 3.8 seconds, and has a top speed of 210km/h. It is equipped with a 75kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery that has a 650km driving range, according to more generous CLTC standards. The car rides on an 800-volt platform, meaning it can DC fast charge from 10 to 80 per cent in less than 12 minutes. It measures up at 4999mm long, 1919mm wide, 1479mm high, with a wheelbase of  2920mm, so it is a little bigger than a Toyota Camry. The exterior is similar to many of its rivals, showing off a sleek body shape and frameless windows. It comes with 19-inch wheels as standard. The TT’s interior features a 15.4-inch central touchscreen and 10.2-inch digital driver display, along with a 25.6-inch panoramic head-up display. It also includes is also a 50W wireless phone charger and 23-speaker sound system. The Galaxy TT will be a direct competitor to the seriously popular Xiaomi SU7 which sold its first 15,000 units in roughly half an hour earlier this year.The Denza Z9 S electric sedan will provide further competition, with its wagon variant due in Australia before the end of the year. The Galaxy TT is not in Geely’s Australia schedule in the short term, but the brand has demonstrated a methodical approach to introducing models rather than the explosive range expansions of some of its rivals.The TT is priced from 200,000 yuan in China, which is roughly A$42,000. Most Chinese cars carry a roughly 20 per cent premium by the time they arrive in Australia in right-hand drive, making a potential local price somewhere just north of $50,000.This would make it slightly more affordable than the Zeekr 7GT and significantly more affordable than the Denza Z9.The Xiaomi SU7 which it is seemingly designed to target is not headed to Australia in the short term, with the Chinese tech company overwhelmed by demand in its home market.

A new report from the Australia Automotive Dealer Association (AADA) has shed light over fresh concerns regarding long car repair and refund wait times in Australia.Dealers admitted customers face significant delays to get their cars fixed in Australia, especially EVs. It can take between six and eight weeks for an issue to just be diagnosed due to workshop backlogs.The association said some manufacturing faults can even take months or years to be correctly diagnosedDealers are now refusing to accept tow-ins or diagnostic work for vehicles they did not originally sell due their backlogs.They blamed long wait times on sourcing parts like electric car batteries that cannot be air-freighted and must be shipped instead.Dealers have also pointed the finger at car manufacturers that dispute or mull over approving warranty requests.The report said that only manufacturers can provide remedy for design faults, leaving dealers helpless to appease customer expectations of a swift resolution. The report stated concerns over manufacturers denying reimbursement claims and failing to meaningfully engage with dispute processes. Carmakers are required to make parts and repair available for a reasonable time after purchase, but this is a vague stipulation.The report sets out several Australian Consumer Law reform recommendations to rectify these issues. It said manufacturers should be required to respond to buyback requests within a fixed period.If the manufacturer fails to respond with written confirmation of indemnity, it is deemed to have accepted responsibility. Manufacturers should also be required to join legal tribunal proceedings for alleged manufacturing or systemic defects. The report called for further clarification of consumer guarantees regarding battery degradation and replacement thresholds. This would recognise the inevitable delays of sourcing EV components and developing software solutions.The Australian EV boom is in full swing, with sales surging in the wake of skyrocketing fuel prices and increasingly stringent environment regulations. More EVs will hit the roads in the coming months, with the industry likely to be placed under further strain.

I’ve been driving the Geely Starray Inspire for the past three months, but in the past few weeks the Chinese brand has shown off its secret power.Geely launched the Starray in September last year, but it has already delivered a game-changing update to the range-topping Inspire grade. That’s record-breaking time for an update, which takes the big name brands four or more years.Geely has switched out the old test car I’ve been driving for the better part of the past three months for the new and improved version.The headline changes are a much bigger battery, with a 30kWh unit replacing the former 18kWh powerplant. This boosts electric-only driving range by 53km to 136km. That’s good enough to force a name change to Starray Inspire Extended Range.Max DC charging speed doubles to 60kW, which allows you to fill the battery from 30-80 per cent in 16 minutes. Claimed fuel use drops to 1.4L/100km from 2.4L/100km. There have been other minor upgrades to the car, such as massaging front seats and towing enhancements.Besides that everything covered in my previous two instalments remains the same.All that costs just an extra $1500, with the Starray Inspire Extended Range starting at $41,490 before on-road costs.Crucially the Starray is now a more relevant competitor to the BYD Sealion 6 Extended Range, which starts at $46,990 (before on-road costs) but the Inspire is more inline with the full-fruit $52,990 Premium grade.That’s a fair chunk of change left in your pocket if you are searching for a plug-in hybrid mid-size SUV.After three months, more than 1000km travelled, and more than 24 hours of total driving time the Starray shines bright against its competition.The power adjustable seats wrapped in synthetic leather have excellent adjustment, which paired with the adjustable steering wheel allows drivers of all shapes and sizes to find the ideal seating position.There is great vision out the front, with the driver able to see all angles. Throw in a birds-eye view camera, multiple parking sensors and it's a cinch to negotiate tight carparks and city streets.The hybrid tech works seamlessly blending electric and petrol power. You’ll barely hear the petrol engine unless in Power mode, which only uses the engine to drive the wheels.It is a refined experience with minimal road noise or tyre roar entering the cabin.The 1.5-litre four-cylinder non-turbo petrol engine and electric motor combo makes a decent 193kW.In the real world that’s plenty, with the Starray bounding up steep hills and overtaking on the motorway with ease.If you are in Power mode or the battery is depleted then it can feel breathless.The steering is well weighted and predictable, which inspires confidence on tight, twisting roads.It exerts decent body control with minimal lean through the corners.Geely’s active driver aids are the best of any of the Chinese brands I’ve tested. All the tech worked as advertised and ditched the overbearing annoying beeps and bongs of rival brands. This is a big step forward and a surefire way to keep customers.The only constant was the speed warning that goes off when you exceed the speed limit by 1km. This is fine, except the speed sign recognition tech needs a bit of work to make sure it is holding you to the right speed limit.It’s not all rosy for the Starray, however.The suspension is far too firm, especially at the rear where you’ll hear and feel it crash over speed bumps and splutter over potholes and lumps along the way. Not ideal with kids in the back seat and items in the boot will move around if not secured.It would benefit from a local suspension tune that tweaks the set-up to better suit our roads and driving conditions, rather than the billiard table-like streets of China and Europe.The Starray could do with an all-wheel-drive option, too. All that power through the front wheels is never a good idea, with the wheels spinning at the slightest hint of a heavy foot when trying to turn.All-paw grip is a better and safer solution in the wet, which is an important consideration when buying a family car.Geely’s fuel-use claim is a tough one. You’ll need to be super disciplined in keeping the battery topped up to have any shot at getting close to the 1.4L/100km mark.The best I saw was 2.6L/100km for a 50km stint, and the worst was above 6.0L/100km.But if you can travel most of the time in Pure mode (EV only), then you’ll be laughing. The new battery is much better at achieving the EV driving range claim of 136km, while the older version routinely fell short of its 83km claim.2026 Geely Starray EM-i InspireAcquired: March, 2026Distance travelled this month: 300kmOdometer: 470kmAverage fuel use this month: 3.4L/100km

The list of Australia’s favourite off-road SUVs is set for a massive shake up in the coming years, as a 4WD-obsessed boom in the Chinese market starts to overflow to Australia.The GWM Tank 300 and Tank 500, as well as Denza’s B5 and B8, might have been the first to tackle ever-popular legends, the Toyota LandCruiser, Nissan Patrol and Ford Everest, but they will soon be joined by new offerings from GAC, Geely and Chery.Below is a list of the five off-road hybrid SUVs either confirmed to be heading to Australia or highly likely for an Australian arrival with the intention to unseat some of the world’s most popular 4WDs.Also known as the Geely Battleship 700, this large hybrid off-roader is part of an all-new family of flagship products for the Geely brand.It will debut a new off-road architecture for Geely, which can be equipped with either a 1.5-litre or 2.0-litre engine mated to a front electric motor, and dual rear electric motors that feature a mechanical differential lock.There is no mechanical connection between the front and rear axles, with that space taken up by a 47kWh battery pack, which grants it up to 185km of CLTC driving range, according to preliminary specs out of China.Combined power for its tri-motor system is a headline-grabbing 830kW, and the boxy off-roader has luxurious interior fittings which take Geely into new territory. Pricing is yet to be revealed, and while the Galaxy Cruiser hasn’t been confirmed for an Australian arrival, it is slated for a UK arrival, confirming right-hand drive production.Read more about the Geely Galaxy Cruiser hereWith styling more reminiscent of the Toyota Prado rather than the Defender-esque look of the Geely, GAC’s upcoming Yue 7 was recently revealed at the 2026 Beijing Motor Show.Also a plug-in hybrid with no mechanical connection between the engine and rear axle, the over-five-meter-long SUV boasts formidable off-road angles.It is not as punchy as the Geely claims to be, with a mere 400kW of combined power on tap from its 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and dual electric motor set-up, which is a familiar formula for these Chinese 4WDs.It will be offered with either a 28.3kWh or 46kWh battery pack, which grants it either 116km or 188km of CLTC electric driving range, respectively.The computer-based 4WD system is said to be capable of sending power to just one wheel at a time if needed and simulating low-range driving.While GAC Australia is yet to comment on the arrival of the Yue 7, the company is plotting 10 new models in our market in just five years, with the local boss telling CarsGuide recently this will include a large SUV and a pick-up truck.Read more about the GAC Yue 7 hereThe Chery sub-brand’s flagship off-road machine is squarely designed to target rivals like the Tank 500 and Denza B5, according to executives.Unlike some of its rivals here, the V27 doesn’t ride on a ladder-frame platform and instead rides on a car-line monocoque underpinnings.This isn’t an indicator of its off-road performance, with prior iterations of the famous Mitsubishi Pajero and current Land Rover Defender also based on unibody platforms.The V27 uses a range-extender hybrid system (meaning the 1.5-litre engine is not mechanically connected to the front or rear axles), being purely electrically driven at the wheels.It uses a 34.3kWh battery pack which grants it 150km of electric driving range to an also lenient NEDC standard and power outputs from its dual-electric motor set-up combine for a total of 335kW/505Nm.Despite being over five meters in length, the V27 is only a five-seater, but has a cavernous boot area, and like the above GAC Yue 7 is able to be equipped with a tailgate mounted full-size spare.Expect to learn more later in 2026 as the iCaur brand gears up for its Australian debut.Read more about the iCaur V27 hereYou may remember Freelander as a Land Rover nameplate from the 90s, but it has now been spun off as a new sub-brand and joint-venture between Land Rover and Chery, as the British company embraces ‘China Speed’ for best use of its intellectual property.Utilising a Chery platform and Huawei cabin tech, the Freelander 8 large SUV also wears iconic elements of the Freelander nameplate’s British design.A far cry from the original Freelander of the 90s, which was a relatively small but capable SUV, the new model is a large three-row offering chasing the trendy boxy bodystyle trend in the Chinese market.Also using a 1.5-litre engine in a range-extended set-up, the brand has at least confirmed that it will have some kind of tough off-road ability despite an over-three-meter long wheelbase.Power figures are yet to be confirmed, but it will get over 200km of electric driving range from an enormous 60.33kWh battery pack, while promising 2000kg of towing capacity and at least a central differential lock.Read more about the Freelander 8 hereGWM’s long-expected off-road monster is still on the cards for an Australian launch. The good news is, the brand is strongly considering an upcoming updated model featuring the company’s new 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbo engine.The bad news is this update, which is expected to be the first version of the 700 available in right-hand drive, isn’t due until 2028.The Tank 700 is available in both rugged Hi4-T form, which maintains the mechanical linkage from the engine to the rear axle, maintaining a low-range transfer case and placing the electric motor in the transmission, as well as new-age Hi4-Z form that forgoes the mechanical connection for a larger battery and more electric driving characteristics.As for specs the latest Hi4-Z version produces a combined 720kW/1375Nm, according to Chinese specs. Its 59kWh battery pack grants it a WLTC-measured 190km EV driving range.Expected to be priced well north of $100,000 in Australia (perhaps even more in its ultimate V8 form), the Tank 700 would move GWM into new pricing territory and test the limits of what its buyers are prepared to pay. Even so, GWM is expected to debut a Tank model even higher up the price scale, with an expected Tank 800 to be launched on the same GWM One platform as the flagship Haval H10 and Wey 9X from the Chinese giant’s other sub brands.Read more about the GWM Tank 700 here

Geely’s new model roll-out in Australia continues to gather pace with the formal introduction of the Chinese maker’s pure-electric EX2 city car, priced and specified to challenge the recently introduced BYD Atto 1.Offered in two grades, the Complete at $26,490, before on-road costs and Inspire at $30,990 before on-roads, the new five-door hatch is scheduled to arrive in dealerships late this month.The Complete is powered by a rear-mounted 60kW/150Nm electric motor fed by a 35.3kWh LFP battery for a relatively modest WLTP range of 252km, while the Inspire ups motor outputs to 85kW/150Nm with a 47.1kWh LFP battery extending range to 345km (WLTP). Maximum DC charging speed is 60kW for the Complete and 80kW on the Inspire with AC rated at 6.0kW for both.Geely has already claimed the EX2 as the world’s best selling small EV and China’s top-seller domestically in 2025 and said a pre-release dealer roadshow has been “generating significant expressions of interest and pre-orders” here.Underpinned by the same Global Intelligent New Energy Architecture (GEA) platform as the Geely EX5 EV SUV and larger Starray EM-i PHEV SUV, the EX2 is just over 4.1m long, 1.8m wide and a bit less than 1.6m tall with a 2650mm wheelbase.Suspension is a strut front, multi-link rear set-up tuned “in collaboration with Geely Technology Europe (formerly Lotus Tech Innovation Centre GmbH) to better meet the preferences of European and Australian drivers.”So, not a specific Aussie calibration, but Geely is keen to emphasise the multi-link rear end’s superiority over the torsion beam arrangement more commonly found in this type of compact car. Turning circle is a usefully tight 9.9 metres.The EX2’s compact dimensions put it in light EV territory with the BYD Atto 1 (from $23,990), while taking pot shots at small EVs like the BYD Dolphin (from $29,990) and GAC Aion UT (from $31,990) - all prices before on-road costs.  Both grades feature a 14.6-inch central multimedia touchscreen (with built-in nav), an 8.8-inch digital instrument cluster and power front seats as well as LED head and tail-lights, plus Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.Audio is a four-speaker system and the 16-inch wheels are steel on the Complete, with a six-speaker stereo, alloy rims, a power tailgate, wireless phone charging, heated front seats and 256-colour ambient lighting added to the top-spec Inspire.Geely Connected Services will be active from August for the Geely EX2, with access included for 24 months and an updated Geely App will provide remote access to functions including door and window control, climate control, vehicle status and scheduled charging.Able to seat five, the EX2’s compact power unit makes room for a generous 375-litre boot, plus there’s a 70L frunk, 28L of under-seat storage and a 10L ‘drawer-style’ glove box.Despite the car’s diminutive size active (crash-avoidance) safety includes Auto Emergency Braking (AEB), front and rear collision warning, front and rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keeping assist, traffic sign recognition, blind-spot monitoring, driver monitoring, adaptive cruise control, Auto Lane Change Assist (ALC) and more with a 360-degree camera view standard on the Inspire.An EX2 limited time launch package (July 12 to August 31, 2026) includes a finance offer, free 7.0kW home EV charger and premium paint upgrade.2027 Geely EX2 pricing