Geely Xingyuan: the Chinese bestseller gets a renewal with major improvements

Geely has just presented in its local market an updated version of its urban model with its most popular electric propulsion system. We are obviously referring to the Geely Xingyuan, an electric city car that we had already discussed here in HighMotor on previous occasions.

At first glance, this renewed model looks practically the same. This is because the main improvements it incorporates are not seen, they are experienced. The most important novelty is the incorporation of the Geely Afari Smart Driving (G-ASD) system, a driver-assistance platform based on artificial intelligence that represents a major step in the brand’s autonomous aspirations. Although it does not reach the level of the EVA Cab concept, it now includes autonomous navigation –Navigate-on-Autopilot-, automatic parking and sentry mode, which allows recording the vehicle’s surroundings with the cameras.

These functions were not available on the previous Xingyuan, whereas its main rival, the BYD Seagull, offered -although optionally- the advanced driver-assistance system God’s Eye. It is, therefore, a significant leap in the technological equipment of Geely’s electric city car.

More kilometres covered on a single charge

Another aspect worth highlighting in this renewed version is the increase in range. The line-up keeps the two motors of 58 and 85 kW, accompanied by the 30 and 40 kWh battery packs, respectively; but now an additional battery is offered that increases its capacity to 47 kWh. With this last one, the Xingyuan offers 480 km of CLTC range. In addition, fast charging has also improved notably. According to the manufacturer, it is now possible to go from 30 to 80 percent in just 19 minutes, compared with the 30 minutes needed with the previous model.

Turning to the interior of the vehicle, the new Xingyuan adopts the new Flyme Auto 2.0 operating system, which includes compatibility with Apple CarPlay. The rest of the cabin remains practically the same. On the exterior, on the other hand, a new wheel design and two additional body colours to choose from have been added.

This rapid cycle of updates reflects the impressive speed at which the Chinese automotive industry is advancing. Xingyuan sales have fallen by around 3 percent compared with the previous year, and new competitors at a similar price have appeared that threaten its leadership. This has forced Geely to move quickly, improving the competitiveness of this model with new upgrades.