Beijing 2024: Geely Galaxy Starship concept previews flagship SUV with AI tech, over 2,000 km PHEV range
Ni hao! We’re live at Auto China 2024 in Beijing, where Geely has just revealed the Galaxy Starship concept. This massive SUV previews the Galaxy sub-brand’s upcoming flagship as well as a suite of AI technologies that will soon be filtering into its existing lineup.
The Starship continues to feature Galaxy’s “Expanding Cosmos of Light” design language, sporting slim LED headlights, an illuminated grille-less front end and full-width taillights. Added to that are a number of typical concept car styling cues, including massive, intricate multi-spoke alloy wheels, a “smart light curtain”, a panoramic glass roof, an active rear spoiler, a sizeable rear diffuser and even something called a Dynamic Island (we can already hear Apple’s legal team working on a response…).
But the highlight of the Starship is of course the enormous gullwing doors that provide unencumbered access to the outlandish interior. You’ll find two front seats, a separate centre seat and a couch-like bench at the rear. What’s interesting is that the aforementioned centre seat can not only be reclined flat but it can even be driven out of the car to provide last-mile transportation.
Other features include an in-house Flyme Sound system with an output of over 2,000 watts, as well as a multi-modal AI-driven voice control that features WeChat integration. The latter is slated to make its way to the Galaxy E8 electric sedan through an over-the-air update in the second quarter of the year.
Beyond that, the Starship comes with a customisable hologram avatar that is displayed on the driver display and even an external display on the doors. It’s also said to offer integration with AI phones (through chairman Li Shufu’s smartphone maker subsidiary Meizu), smart glasses and drones.
Under the skin, the Starship is based on Geely’s new Global Intelligent New Energy Architecture (GEA), which supports full electric, range extender, plug-in hybrid and methanol technologies. These include the next-generation NordThor PHEV powertrains that is claimed to offer a total range of over 2,000 km.
It will also feature the company’s new in-house Aegis Dagger lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, as well as “11-to-1” electric motors said to possess 90.04% efficiency. Additionally, the car features an 800-volt architecture that reduces the use of silicon carbide by more than 75%.
The GEA platform also uses what is claimed to be the world’s first “AI digital chassis” that integrates the powertrain, steer-by-wire and autonomous driving systems. This enables lightning-fast reactions of as low as four milliseconds, compared to 100 ms for a human driver. Geely managed to test this technology by achieving the world’s first autonomous drift in a prototype Galaxy E8.
Geely has not confirmed when the production Starship will enter production, but it’s understood that some of the car’s less outlandish features will make their way to future Galaxy models – some of which may be offered in Malaysia under the Proton badge.
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