Galaxy Starship 7 EM-i, Trying to defeat BYD with 3000 yuan | Focus Analysis

Author | Han Yongchang

Editor | Zhang Bowen

After more than a month of press conferences and extensive preheating, the Starship 7 EM-i has finally been launched. After a limited-time 4,000 yuan early enjoyment subsidy, the minimum price is only 99,800 yuan.

The Starship 7 EM-i is benchmarked against the BYD Song Pro. Before the new car was launched, in order to deal with this rising star, after the limited-time discount of the Song Pro, the lowest price also reached 102,800 yuan, and the price difference between the low-end models of the two cars is only 3,000 yuan.

In terms of price, the Starship 7 EM-i has an advantage, which is also the entry requirement to compete with BYD. At the same time, the Starship 7 EM-i is also an all-round product, with great sincerity in terms of appearance, interior space, and various configurations.

Safety is a feature that the Galaxy brand has always emphasized, and the Starship 7 EM-i is no exception. Its first GEA architecture has corresponding safety protection designs for both the battery pack and the fuel tank, covering almost every aspect. Coupled with the 3.75L fuel consumption per 100 kilometers brought by the EM-i system, the new car is indeed attractive.

However, there are also some shortcomings. On the official WeChat public account of the Galaxy brand, the Q&A for netizens of the Starship 7 EM-i has been updated for three issues, but one of the most concerned questions by netizens has not been answered, which is the model of the cockpit chip.

The Galaxy L7 and L6 are equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chip, and its performance is needless to say. The Galaxy E5 uses Geely's self-developed Dragon Eagle 1, and the response is also good. For the Starship 7 EM-i, the press conference did not clearly state which cockpit chip is used. Although the new car is equipped with the Flyme system, some consumers are worried about the smoothness of the vehicle's infotainment system in the long-term use.

According to the data comparison on Autohome, the lowest-end model of the Starship 7 EM-i does not have a sunroof, an electric rear tailgate, an electric adjustment for the co-pilot seat, and the front seats are not equipped with ventilation and heating. This may be one of the reasons for its excellent price.

Of course, with a starting price of 99,800 yuan, it is already a very good choice to get such a configuration. Overall, the Starship 7 EM-i already has the potential to be a hit.

「 Imitating BYD, Sales Will Definitely Be Good 」

"The four-link rear independent suspension far exceeds the chopstick suspension", "The long knife is not the optimal solution, the short knife is the new generation", such golden sentences frequently appeared at today's press conference.

Geely Galaxy is competing head-to-head with BYD Dynasty Network and Ocean Network models, and the press conference of the Starship 7 EM-i did not show any mercy.

Benchmarking against BYD has brought considerable sales. In addition to the early Galaxy L7, L6, and E8 models, the recently launched pure electric model Galaxy E5 is benchmarked against Yuan PLUS, and it has quickly opened the market with a low-price strategy. Then, the Xingyuan model is benchmarked against Seagull, and its monthly sales have also exceeded 20,000.

The strategy of Galaxy is very simple. The same-level models have larger screens and newer configurations. With the "latecomer advantage" of the new cars, it can naturally seize some market share of BYD.

The Starship 7 EM-i is also such a model. It directly competes with the Song Pro. During the pre-sale, the price range is almost exactly the same, and the price after the limited-time subsidy is 3,000 yuan cheaper.

The Song Pro was launched in 2019. Although it has been modified many times, its sales are still very considerable, and its quality is also very stable. However, compared with the latest Starship 7 EM-i, it is indeed not dominant in appearance and configuration.

The most obvious difference between the two models is the power system. The Starship 7 EM-i uses the EM-i system with a single-speed DHT, while the Song Pro is DM-i. DHT is a hybrid technology that combines gasoline and electricity, while DM-i is a hybrid technology that mainly uses electricity. Both technologies have their own characteristics and branches.

For example, the Galaxy L7 uses a three-speed DHT system, which has stronger power performance. The single-speed DHT (EM-i) of the Starship 7 EM-i has lower energy consumption. The driving experience of the single-speed DHT (EM-i) is smoother and closer to pure electricity, and it is more similar to BYD DM-i.

Of course, for consumers, no matter which system structure, fuel saving is the highest pursuit.

In the data officially announced by BYD, the Song Pro can achieve a cruising range of 1,400 kilometers, and the fuel consumption under the NEDC working condition is 3.79 liters per 100 kilometers, and the thermal efficiency of the engine corresponding to the fifth-generation DM system is 46.06%.

The officially announced comprehensive cruising range of the Starship 7 EM-i is 1,430 kilometers, and the fuel consumption data under the CLTC working condition is 3.75L per 100 kilometers, and the thermal efficiency of the engine of the Thunder God Hybrid System is 46.5%. It is not difficult to see that the Starship 7 EM-i is very excellent in data, which is also the "latecomer advantage".

How the fuel consumption calculated under different working conditions is actually like has been discussed by too many people when the BYD fifth-generation DM system was launched. Everyone's driving habits and driving environments are different, and there will be subtle differences. Therefore, the two models may not have a too obvious feeling in the experience.

However, the "fuel-saving" feature of BYD's fifth-generation DM system has withstood the test of the market, and the sales volume is enough to prove everything.

As a newcomer, the Starship 7 EM-i has the advantage of being a new car compared to the Song Pro, which has been on the market for five years. However, the 2025 model of the Song Pro still sold more than 30,000 units in October after its launch, showing its excellent product power and it is also a very challenging opponent.

The fact that the Starship 7 EM-i can make consumers hesitate between it and the Song Pro means it has already been half successful.

「 Dual-Car Strategy, Where Will the Galaxy L7 Go? 」

The automotive industry has always been that those who learn from me will survive, and those who imitate me will die.

In recent years, the pixel-level imitation of Model Y and Model 3 by domestic automakers has not had a great impact on the sales of the two models. Since the beginning of this year, more and more automakers have begun to develop their own styles after imitation, and they have really taken away some market share. This is why "Bao Shi Tai" was short-lived, while "Bao Shi Mi" was all the rage.

Now Geely's offensive against BYD also starts with imitation. The Starship 7 EM-i and the Galaxy L7 are benchmarked against the Song Pro and the Song PLUS respectively, launching an assault on BYD.

Automakers have always liked the Gemini strategy. The Magotan and Passat, Lavida and Bora, Corolla and Levin in the early years were very successful. Nowadays, BYD also has a dual-car configuration.

However, whether it is the Song PLUS and Song Pro at the beginning, or the Seal 06 DM-i and Qin PLUS DM-i now, BYD's dual-car strategy either has a clear distinction in price or makes a distinction in the target group of the vehicle models, so there will not be a situation of competing for orders with each other.

The appearance of the Starship 7 EM-i seems to overlap with the consumer group of the Galaxy L7, which may cause some difficulties for consumers to choose.

The two cars are almost the same in terms of body appearance, interior space, safety configuration, assisted driving function, and vehicle infotainment system. The power performance of the L7 is better, and the price is also more expensive, which is the difference.

But as a family SUV, the demand for power performance is not strong. Moreover, some configurations of the Starship 7 EM-i seem to be more outstanding. For example, the 120km cruising range version supports 1.9C fast charging, which can be fully charged in only 0.33 hours, while the fast charging time of all versions of the Galaxy L7 requires 0.5 hours.

More importantly, the Starship 7 EM-i has lower fuel consumption and is cheaper. Therefore, the launch of the Starship 7 EM-i may not impact the Song Pro first, but the Galaxy L7.

These models are all in the 10 - 150,000 yuan family SUV market, and the competition is extremely fierce. After the 2025 model of the Song PLUS was released, its sales in October reached 51,615 units. The sales of new models such as the Deep Blue S05 and Chery Fengyun T9 are also gradually increasing. Not to mention the classic fuel vehicle models such as the Tiggo 8 and Xingyue L, whose monthly sales are still around 20,000.

The Galaxy L7 reached its peak when it was launched in 2023, with monthly sales exceeding 10,000 for several consecutive months, creating very excellent results. However, the recent sales have declined and are hovering around 7,000. Now the appearance of the Starship 7 EM-i makes the L7 not only need to face these external rivals directly, but also accept the internal pressure.

The Galaxy brand was officially announced to the public in February 2023, and the annual delivery in 2023 is close to 150,000 units. By this year, the cumulative sales from January to November is about 425,000 units, and the annual delivery volume can already 500,000 units. (Note: This part seems to contain an error or an incomplete statement. It is not clear what "can already 500,000 units" means. Without further context, it is difficult to provide an accurate translation. For the purpose of this translation, I will keep it as is.)

It has achieved such results in less than two years since its establishment. The Galaxy L7, as the first model, has made a great contribution. However, after the appearance of the Starship 7 EM-i, whether the Gemini strategy composed of the Starship 7 EM-i and the Galaxy L7 can create higher market sales or is internally contradictory is still a question that needs time to test.