Geely vs BYD: In 2025, It's a Fierce Competition.

Writer | Han Yongchang Editor | Zhang Bowen

In the beginning of 2025, BYD and Geely have been in a fierce competition.

BYD held an intelligent driving conference on February 10, announcing that all its vehicle models will be equipped with high-level intelligent driving. Even the Seagull, which costs 70,000 yuan, will be equipped with the Eye of the God C, supporting high-speed NOA and automatic parking.

The intelligent driving models of BYD have sparked a new round of car-buying craze. 36Kr visited several BYD 4S stores. Some stores received more than 40 groups of customers on a weekend day, which is twice the number of customers before the New Year.

Even a salesperson frankly said, "After the test drive vehicle of the intelligent driving version arrived at the store, it was on the road for test drives the whole Saturday without being in the store. One after another. The order conversion rate after the test drive can be 60% to 70%."

Under the strong appeal of BYD's intelligent driving, Geely is not willing to show weakness and quickly played a counterattack card - low-priced new cars.

Geely Galaxy launched two new cars within three days, aiming directly at BYD Qin and Song series models. The starting price of Galaxy L6 EM-i is 79,800 yuan, the same as Qin PLUS DM-i intelligent driving version. The starting price of L7 EM-i is 115,800 yuan, 20,000 yuan cheaper than Song PLUS DM-i intelligent driving version.

Galaxy does not have intelligent driving, but L6/L7 EM-i uses the "high configuration and low price" strategy such as ventilated, heated and massaged seats, larger screens, and 8155 chip cockpits to attack BYD's basic market.

This is a fierce and contrasting competition. BYD, which was once not enthusiastic about intelligent driving, is now using technological equality to reconstruct market rules and even redefine the value of intelligent driving; while Geely, which started to 组建 a team for independent research and development of intelligent driving and supported several intelligent driving suppliers in 2021, is still vigorously promoting the color TV and large sofa of the new cars.

BYD and Geely are gambling. In 2025, will consumers pay for intelligent driving or for low prices.

「 The new Galaxy cars have strong product power, but the competition logic has changed 」

The two new Galaxy cars have very strong product power. In the price range of 100,000 to 150,000 yuan, Galaxy chooses to build its core competitiveness with the most intuitive color TV and sofa.

The starting price of Galaxy L6 EM-i is 79,800 yuan, the same as Qin PLUS intelligent driving version. The 14.6-inch central control screen that is standard in the whole series makes the new car seem more substantial than Qin PLUS at a glance.

Except for the lowest configuration version, L6 EM-i is also equipped with the seat ventilation, heating and massage functions for the driver's seat. This is a configuration that is rarely seen in 100,000-yuan models and is also the key point of the new car's promotion.

The starting price of Galaxy L7 EM-i is 115,800 yuan, and it spares no effort in the configuration of color TV and sofa.

In comparison, the starting price of Song PLUS DM-i intelligent driving version is 135,800 yuan. The Galaxy EM-i Explore + version with the same price is equipped with a 13.2-inch central control screen and a 16.2-inch entertainment screen for the co-driver.

Not only that, the Explore + version also has a queen seat with a leg rest, and the front seats are equipped with heating, ventilation and massage functions. The configuration of color TV and sofa is almost catching up with 200,000-yuan-level models.

Although it does not have intelligent driving, the Galaxy L7 EM-i Explore + version also has L2-level assisted driving functions. That is to say, except for high-speed NOA and automatic parking, the Galaxy L7 EM-i has all the configurations that the Song PLUS DM-i intelligent driving version has, and the Galaxy L7 EM-i also has the color TV and large sofa that the Song PLUS DM-i intelligent driving version does not have at the same price.

The two new Galaxy cars have done enough homework in benchmarking BYD Qin and Song series models.

In addition to these configurations that can be seen at a glance, in terms of driving experience, the Galaxy L6/L7 EM-i has changed from the previous 1.5T 3-speed DHT to 1.5L single-speed DHT.

This design change by Geely makes the cost lower and also optimizes the shifting jerk during driving, improving the smoothness. Although the acceleration performance becomes weaker, it is more fuel-efficient and completely sufficient for daily travel. EM-i can be said to be specifically designed to benchmark BYD's fifth-generation DM system.

The two new models L6/L7 EM-i both have independent suspensions with MacPherson struts in the front and double wishbone in the rear. 36Kr has conducted test drive experiences on both models. The shock absorption of L6 EM-i is indeed a little better than Qin PLUS, and the cornering is also very stable. However, compared with Qin L, the driving experience does not have a very obvious difference.

In fact, for electric vehicles priced at 100,000 yuan, whether it is Geely Galaxy or BYD, there is not much to be picky about in the driving experience. If you do not deliberately feel it, there is basically no big difference.

The two new Galaxy cars have very high cost performance, lower prices and better configurations. Geely is using BYD's logic to compete with BYD. But unfortunately, when Geely was brewing to play its cards, BYD has already overturned the card table.

In the electric vehicle industry, leading enterprises have always had the ability to set rules and gameplay. Tesla was like this before, and now BYD is the same.

In 2023 and 2024, BYD swept the market with the low prices of the Champion Edition and the Honor Edition. Automakers have all followed suit, making the prices of new cars lower and lower. The entire auto market has been washed by low prices in the past two years. The first criterion for judging a good car is the price. If the price is not in place, all the configurations are in vain.

The competition logic in 2025 has obviously been dragged by BYD into the competition of intelligent driving as a standard configuration. Intelligent driving will become an extremely crucial factor determining the sales volume of automakers this year.

Geely Galaxy has achieved very excellent results in the past year and even in January this year, with a monthly sales volume of even more than 90,000 vehicles. However, in the new year's competition, not having intelligent driving is already out of date.

It is true that intelligent driving is not currently the main choice factor for consumers buying cars in the 100,000 to 150,000 yuan range. Because the vast majority of consumers have not experienced intelligent driving, and the vast majority of 100,000 to 150,000 yuan cars do not have intelligent driving functions.

However, BYD's standard configuration of high-speed NOA and automatic parking has brought intelligent driving to the level of universal popularity. 36Kr test drove the high-speed NOA function of Qin L. Whether it is entering or exiting the ramp, or changing lanes during driving, it is very smooth.

The parking ability brought by the Eye of the God C is also very smooth. The parking of daily parking spaces is much better than that of novice drivers, and it can already meet the parking needs of the vast majority of consumers.

When BYD equips all its models with intelligent driving, coupled with the assistance of brands such as Xiaopeng, AITO and Li Auto, the number of new cars equipped with intelligent driving functions in the Chinese market will increase exponentially in 2025.

The low-price and high-configuration of Galaxy can hold out for a while, but after several months or even a year, when more and more consumers have experienced intelligent driving, intelligent driving may become a must-have option for buying cars. New cars without intelligent driving will always be unstable in the market.

「 Completing intelligent driving and expanding stores to expand competitive advantages 」

2025 is destined to be a turning year for the second half of intelligentization. Changan is going to equip 100,000-yuan models with lidar. BYD will lower high-speed NOA and automatic parking to the 70,000-yuan level. Chery, which has been aggressive many times, will also have more than a dozen high-level intelligent driving models on the market this year.

Geely, which regained the top domestic sales in January, is naturally not willing to fall behind. There are market rumors that it will hold an AI intelligent strategy conference in early March.

Geely's new energy vehicle models are bound to be equipped with intelligent driving. It goes without saying that high-end brands such as Zeekr and Lynk & Co. are included. Galaxy, as the basic sales volume, is the top priority for the popularization of intelligent driving.

If the Galaxy brand's current color TV and large sofa configuration is combined with high-speed NOA and automatic parking capabilities, it can be almost invincible in the 100,000 to 150,000 yuan price range. Even in the face of BYD, there will be no shortcomings.

But this may cause a problem. The Galaxy brand already has three-speed DHT models and EM-i models on sale at the same time. If the intelligent driving version models are launched within the year, it is very likely to repeat the "three generations in the same hall" phenomenon of Zeekr.

If the launch is too late, Galaxy will not only fall behind BYD, but also other brands. Obviously, Chery, Changan and other brands will lower the intelligent driving this year, and 150,000-yuan intelligent driving models will emerge in an endless stream. The sales competitive advantage that Galaxy has painstakingly established may be greatly reduced due to the lack of intelligent driving.

Therefore, when to complete the intelligent driving capability is a problem that Galaxy needs to consider. But BYD's technological development will not stop. The later the intelligent driving models of the Galaxy brand and other automakers are launched, the longer the time window for BYD to expand its competitive advantage.

When BYD achieves results in the independent research and development of key intelligent driving components such as lidar, the cost of intelligent driving will also decrease. At that time, the competition may return from the popularization of intelligent driving to the logic of low price of intelligent driving.

This is the case in the current automotive industry competition. One step behind, and you will be behind step by step.

The same is true for the performance of intelligent driving. Intelligent driving relies on data for iteration. Only with a huge data support can it "become better and better to use". This is BYD's strength.

If BYD can achieve the goal of 5 million vehicles in 2025, and 50% of its vehicle models are equipped with intelligent driving functions, there will also be 2.5 million vehicles with intelligent driving functions in the market. This is more than twice the total sales of AITO, Li Auto and Xiaopeng in 2024.

Even if the models equipped with the Eye of the God C cannot fully satisfy consumers with their initial intelligent driving capabilities, with such a large sales volume, BYD's intelligent driving capabilities will grow rapidly. It should be noted that the Orin N chip carried by the Eye of the God C can achieve urban navigation.

If Geely does not catch up quickly in the 100,000 to 150,000 yuan range, it is very likely that when BYD has become "useful and safe", Galaxy will only enter the stage of "barely usable".

In addition to intelligent driving, Geely Galaxy has another not small problem. During the visit, 36Kr found that Galaxy's sales network is not clear.

Currently, Galaxy is divided into Network A and Network B. The main models sold in Network A include Galaxy E8, Galaxy E5, Galaxy L7, Galaxy L6, etc. The main models sold in Network B are Starship 7 and Starwish, etc.

Except for the completely different models on sale in the two networks, there is no obvious distinction whether it is on Galaxy's online official website or the signs of offline stores. This leads to consumers often going to the wrong store.

If consumers want to see cars at Galaxy offline stores, there are fewer stores to choose from compared to BYD. If they do not distinguish between Network A and Network B in advance, they are likely to make a wasted trip, which makes the convenience of consumers' purchase far less than that of BYD.

The sales network is the first line for automakers to reach consumers. The reason why the Dynasty Network can become the sales pillar of BYD is directly related to the number of stores it claims to be the "largest sales network in the universe".

BYD has been committed to laying out the sales network to the county level in 2024. If Galaxy wants to compete with it, in addition to excellent products, there are still many lessons to be learned.

Of course, for Geely Galaxy, the top priority is still to follow up on intelligent driving. Otherwise, the cost performance advantage it has painstakingly built may be swallowed up by the technological generation gap. Just as Wang Chuanfu said, in the next 2 - 3 years, cars without high-level intelligent driving will become the minority.