The 120,000-yuan Galaxy E5 is competing closely with BYD Song, aiming at the sniper of compact joint venture SUVs

BYD's sales in June exceeded 340,000 units, making it the leader in China's new energy market. Is there any manufacturer that can challenge BYD?

Judging from all aspects, Geely has the greatest possibility. Whether it is technology, products or sales volume, it is undoubtedly in the first camp. At the same time, its product lineup is also constantly expanding.

On July 5, Geely Galaxy's new compact SUV Galaxy E5 officially started pre-sale. The new car has a total of 5 models, with a pre-sale price of 123,000-157,000 yuan. If nothing unexpected happens, the final selling price will have some small surprise of a reduction.

Galaxy E5 adopts a family-style front face, which looks simple, elegant and fashionable. Although the price is relatively affordable, this car is not "low-end" in design, and its appearance is quite good, which is easy to be recognized by family users.

The body length is 4615mm, and the wheelbase is 2750mm. Although the body size is not large, the internal space is good, which can basically meet the daily travel needs of a family of five. The whole series is pure electric, equipped with a 160kW front single motor, and the CLTC range is divided into two models: 440km and 530km.

The daily mileage of ordinary family users is generally less than 50km, which means that the Galaxy E5 can basically guarantee a battery life of about a week by charging it once at the weekend. The convenience is not much worse than that of fuel vehicles of the same level.

In terms of vehicle use costs, the official said that the Galaxy E5 consumes about 12 degrees of electricity per 100 kilometers. If calculated at 1.5 yuan per degree, the cost of traveling for 100 kilometers will not exceed 20 yuan. For fuel-powered SUVs of the same price, the fuel consumption in urban areas is generally more than 8L, and the fuel cost is around 70 yuan.

In terms of intelligence, the Galaxy E5 provides L2-level driving assistance functions on two high-end models, including active braking, lane keeping assistance, lane departure warning, lane centering and other common functions. Although the other models lack some advanced assistance functions, they also provide 360-degree panoramic images, transparent chassis, uphill assistance and other functions, which are still quite practical.

At the same time, the Galaxy E5 is also equipped with the Flyme Auto smart car system from Meizu. The large screen operation is relatively smooth, and there is no lag after long-term use. It also provides a powerful voice interaction system and entertainment functions. From the perspective of car experience, the advantages are obvious.

Overall, the Galaxy E5 has a balanced performance in all aspects, with no obvious shortcomings. It is the type that has everything that consumers need to meet their daily travel needs. It does not blindly pursue fancy configurations that consumers do not need, and highlights its economy and practicality. Its product idea can be summarized in one sentence: no fancy tricks, just honest car manufacturing.

Moreover, the Galaxy E5 is economical and practical, but it is not as simple and economical as the Wuling Hongguang. Compared with the joint venture fuel vehicles of the same price, this car has a clear advantage in configuration level and can compete with the same level of models. Low price and high configuration are the basic pursuit of the Galaxy E5.

What kind of users can Galaxy E5 attract?

Judging from the price and model positioning, this car is obviously aimed at BYD Song PLUS EV.

Compared with BYD Song PLUS EV, Galaxy E5 is comparable in terms of space, internal configuration and power. Both cars belong to the first echelon of the same level.

Here comes the point. The pre-sale price of Galaxy E5 is 123,000-157,000 yuan, while the price of Song PLUS EV is 149,800-189,800 yuan. With the overall performance not much different, the more affordable price becomes the killer feature of Galaxy E5.

In fact, when consumers buy cars, they mainly look at indicators such as price, configuration, battery life, and space. Compared with Song PLUS EV, the overall performance of Galaxy E5 can be said to be evenly matched. In this case, consumers can buy this car because of the price advantage of more than 20,000 yuan.

Some time ago, Geely Chairman Li Shufu publicly expressed his disgust for price wars, but from a practical perspective, Geely is still capable of attracting users who pursue cost-effectiveness with lower prices and stronger overall performance.

Looking at the entire new energy market, the only large manufacturer capable of challenging BYD on multiple fronts is probably Geely Auto, and the Galaxy E5 is a reflection of Geely's overall strength. In the coming time, the Galaxy series should launch more competitive models to continuously increase sales.

Of course, chasing BYD in close combat is only part of the sales source of Galaxy E5. Another important potential user group is the current compact fuel SUV users.

Putting aside off-site factors such as sentiment, if we only look at product performance, fuel-powered SUVs of the same price have almost no advantage over domestic new energy vehicles such as the Galaxy E5. In terms of appearance, power, internal configuration, safety performance, vehicle cost, travel convenience, etc., the Galaxy E5 is far superior to fuel-powered SUVs of the same price, especially those built by joint venture manufacturers.

This potential user group is quite large. Joint ventures still occupy about half of the domestic market share, and compact SUVs are the main models of joint ventures such as Volkswagen, Toyota, and Honda. At present, the penetration rate of new energy vehicles has approached 50%, and the influence of joint venture brands is also declining rapidly. When existing users of joint venture fuel compact SUVs change cars, they are likely to choose domestic models such as Galaxy E5. From this perspective, this car is like a sniper, and a large number of targets are aimed at them.

Of course, the impact also affects domestic fuel-powered compact SUVs, such as Changan CS75 and Haval H6, which have high sales. In terms of cost-effectiveness, these models are much higher than joint venture fuel-powered SUVs, but still lag behind Galaxy E5.

So, can this car enter the club of monthly sales of 10,000 units? Judging from the current situation, the possibility is still relatively high. Whether it is the product itself or the price advantage, the Galaxy E5 has the capital to dominate.

In addition, the Geely Galaxy series is backed by Geely Auto, and is more stable than most new car manufacturers in terms of sales network and after-sales service. When ordinary consumers buy cars, in addition to product performance, they also pay more attention to their performance at the service level, which is exactly what traditional large manufacturers like Geely are good at.

From January to May 2024, Geely Galaxy series sales have reached 81,400 units, a year-on-year increase of 742%, which shows that its brand influence has increased significantly in the past year and has successfully entered the mainstream market. With powerful product performance, Geely Auto's endorsement, and first-tier brand influence, it may only be a matter of time before Galaxy E5 enters the club of monthly sales of 10,000 units.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.