On August 29, the first day of the Chengdu Auto Show, Geely China Star's all-new Orient Yao series used a launch event themed "Yao Qi Dong Fang · Encountering Chinese Luxury," blending Eastern aesthetics with cutting-edge technology, to declare to the industry: fuel vehicles have not exited the stage, but are evolving with an even more ultimate posture. This launch event was not only a response to the trust of 1.6 million car owners, but also revealed Geely's profound insight into the essence of the automotive industry—amid the wave of energy transition, fuel vehicles still need technological iteration to satisfy users' ultimate pursuit of mechanical performance and driving experience.
The debut of the China Star all-new Orient Yao series is not only Geely's continued deep cultivation of the fuel vehicle market, but also the firm implementation of its development strategy of parallel multi-energy routes. Against the backdrop of new energy becoming the mainstream narrative, Geely has not abandoned the iteration and breakthrough of fuel vehicle technology. Instead, with five major luxury experiences—"Chinese design, intelligent technology, ultimate driving control, superior comfort, and Chinese-style safety"—it has redefined the luxury standard for fuel vehicles.
With new energy in the ascendancy, why does Geely still deeply cultivate fuel vehicles?
Although electric vehicle sales are growing rapidly, data shows that in the first half of 2025, fuel vehicles still accounted for nearly 50% of China's passenger vehicle market. This means that a large number of users still choose fuel vehicles based on usage habits, energy replenishment convenience, purchase costs, and other factors. In the first half of 2025, Geely Auto verified the feasibility of its "oil-electric parallel" strategy with total sales of 1.93 million vehicles and year-on-year growth of 30%. Among them, new energy vehicle sales exceeded 720,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 126%, while the fuel vehicle segment achieved 8% growth against the trend despite an overall industry decline of 7%. As early as last year, in the "Taizhou Declaration," Geely Auto clearly stated: "continue to enhance the core competitiveness of the internal combustion engine vehicle market," demonstrating its profound insight into the market landscape and long-term layout.
Li Donghui, CEO of Geely Holding Group, emphasized at the launch event: "Fuel vehicles are the carrier of Geely's technological accumulation and an important fulcrum of its global layout." Data shows that the China Star series has cumulative exports of more than 180,000 vehicles, and in markets such as Southeast Asia and the Middle East, fuel vehicles are still the most popular models. Through the modular advantages of the CMA architecture, Geely feeds the intelligent technology of new energy vehicles back into fuel vehicles, achieving differentiated competition of "oil-electric same intelligence."
Five major luxuries: how do they reshape the value of fuel vehicles?
1. Chinese design—a visual expression of cultural confidence
The Orient Yao series draws inspiration from Dunhuang culture and launches three exclusive vehicle colors: Crescent Moon Green, Mogao Blue, and Danqing. Not only are the color names poetic, but the paint process also pursues the ultimate. This approach of combining traditional culture with modern industrial design makes the vehicle no longer a cold machine, but a mobile artwork carrying culture and aesthetics.
2. Intelligent technology—fuel vehicles can also "get smarter the more you drive"
The Orient Yao series is the first to equip a fuel vehicle with the GEEA 3.0 electronic and electrical architecture, equivalent to installing a "central super brain" for the vehicle, supporting seamless full-domain FOTA upgrades covering 10 major modules including power, chassis, and infotainment. Even more surprising is the addition of the Xingrui AI large model, which enables the vehicle to have self-learning and optimization capabilities through functions such as cloud power, cloud diagnostics, and AI driving assistance.
The Flyme Auto intelligent cockpit system deeply integrates the DeepSeek AI large model, enabling natural voice interaction and boundless ecosystem connectivity. The Qianli Haohan assisted driving system uses a 128TOPS computing power chip and supports high-speed NOA intelligent navigation-assisted driving. And all of this was almost exclusively available on electric vehicles in the past.
3. Ultimate driving control—the perfect unity of performance and balance
Equipped with a 2.0TD high-power engine + Aisin 8AT transmission, maximum power 200kW, peak torque 400N·m, and the fastest 0-100 km/h acceleration in just 6.5 seconds (Xingrui Yao). Xingyue L Orient Yao adopts a front MacPherson + rear multi-link independent suspension, combined with the CCD variable damping suspension system, which can adjust damping force in real time, balancing handling and comfort. Italian ITT brake pads and a dual-diaphragm vacuum booster shorten the 100km/h-0 braking distance to 34 meters, and with a 50:50 front-to-rear weight distribution, this mid-size SUV achieved a result of 78km/h in the moose test. More importantly, the combination of the CMA steer-by-wire chassis and AI digital chassis allows the vehicle to find the best balance between handling and comfort, truly achieving "control the mountains and seas with ease."
4. Superior comfort—luxury that can be heard and not seen
The Flyme Sound boundless audio system is jointly tuned by Geely and Xingji Meizu. Its 16-speaker layout combined with virtual surround technology creates a "mobile concert hall" level experience. The front seats support 8-point massage, 8-way electric adjustment + 4-way lumbar support, and the front passenger seat adds a leg rest and one-touch lie-flat function; the rear seats even achieve 30°-40° electric stepless adjustment. These configurations were often treatment reserved for top-trim models of luxury brands in the past. The addition of the CCD variable damping suspension also gives the chassis "intelligent anticipation" capability, reducing impact over speed bumps by 23% and improving vibration filtering performance by 19%, creating a truly "relaxed" driving and riding experience.
5. Chinese-style safety—all-around protection for every journey
Geely ranks first among Chinese automakers in the number of patents in the field of automotive safety. The Orient Yao series has built 9 major system protections from passive safety, active safety, functional safety, to information security. The high-strength cage body uses 79% high-strength steel, of which 22% is ultra-high-strength hot-formed steel, combined with a 7-series aluminum alloy anti-collision beam, building an "impregnable fortress." In terms of active safety, the AES automatic emergency avoidance system can actively intervene at a speed of 130km/h, and together with the AEB function for emergency braking at 120km/h, it forms a safety barrier covering all scenarios.
China Star: not just a product, but also a brand breakthrough
Since its launch, the cumulative sales of the China Star series have exceeded 1.6 million vehicles, making it the fastest Chinese high-end fuel vehicle series in the 100,000-200,000 price range to reach one million sales. Xingyue L has also been the fuel SUV sales champion for two consecutive years, while Xingrui firmly ranks first in A-segment fuel sedan sales. Behind these achievements is Chinese consumers' recognition of Geely's brand and technological strength, and even more so, clear proof that China's automotive industry has achieved a comeback against joint venture brands in the fuel vehicle field.
Conclusion: the value of fuel vehicles is being redefined
As of July 2025, the cumulative sales of the China Star series have exceeded 1.6 million vehicles, making it the fastest Chinese high-end fuel vehicle series to enter the million club. Among them, Xingyue L has been the independent fuel SUV sales champion for 16 consecutive months, while Xingrui firmly ranks in the TOP3 of the A-segment fuel sedan market. Against the backdrop of the EU postponing its ban on combustion engines and automakers in multiple countries reviving fuel vehicle research and development, Geely China Star's practice proves: fuel vehicles are not transitional products, but need to achieve "ultimate evolution" through technological iteration.
As Gui Shengyue, President of Geely Automobile Group, said: "The ultimate goal of an automobile is to meet user needs, not the form of energy itself." In the era of coexistence of oil and electricity, the China Star Orient Yao series, with five major upgrades, has injected new vitality into fuel vehicles while also providing the industry with a model of "dual-track parallel development." When the tide recedes, truly good products will ultimately win the market's respect.
