Geely Galaxy Starshine 6 leaked – yet another PHEV sedan, C-segment with EM-i; possible Proton model?

Who said sedans were dead? Geely has already launched three new models this year alone, and now there’s news of a fourth four-door in the shape of the Galaxy Starshine 6. Revealed through a filing on China’s ministry of industry and information technology (MIIT), the new plug-in hybrid is set to slot between the C-segment Galaxy L6 and D-segment A7 in the carmaker’s ever more crowded lineup.

According to data obtained by Autohome, the Starshine 6 is 4,806 mm long, 1,886 mm wide and 1,490 mm tall, making it 112 mm shorter, 19 mm narrower and five millimetres lower than the A7; its 2,756 mm wheelbase, meanwhile, is 89 mm shorter. Against the L6, the car is 24 mm longer, 11 mm wider and just one millimetre taller and has a four millimetre longer wheelbase. As such, we could be looking at the successor to the L6, with the older model soldiering on as a more cost-effective option.

Confusingly, the Starshine 6 name would suggest a relation to the flagship Starshine 8, even though the car appears to share more mechanically with the A7. That would likely include the latest EM-i powertrain that pairs a 111 PS/136 Nm 1.5 litre BHE15PFI naturally-aspirated four-cylinder engine with a 238 PS/262 Nm electric motor integrated into the 11-to-1 single-speed dedicated hybrid transmission (DHT).

In the A7, this powertrain is capable of a zero to 100 km/h acceleration time of 7.1 seconds, a top speed of 190 km/h and a fuel consumption figure as low as 2.67 litres per 100 km. With an 18.4 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, the larger model has a pure electric range of 150 km and a total range of over 2,100 km. Expect those figures to be even better on a smaller, lighter car.

The Starshine 6 also looks fairly similar to the A7, sporting that car’s slim headlights, sweeping six-window glasshouse, conventional pull-type door handles and full-width taillights. There is one major change, however – in place of the A7’s light bar is a large trapezoidal grille with vertical slats, giving the car a hint of Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door about it.

We’ve been positing the A7 thus far as a future Proton eMas model, but with its smaller size and sportier styling being more in tune with Malaysian tastes, could the Starshine 6 instead be the car that us Malaysians will eventually be able to buy? What about you – which would you prefer, A7 or Starshine 6? Sound off in the comments after the jump.

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