► Geely to launch PHEV Defender rival
► Uses new AI-powered platform with steer-by-wire
► Brand intends to launch production car in the UK
The concept is ’90 to 95 per cent’ what the upcoming production model will look like according to Flavian Dachet, director of design at Geely group’s Shanghai design studio, meaning very little will change from the concept design.
When the production car launches later in 2026, it’s expected to inevitably launch in the UK. Tianxiao Yan, Geely Auto’s UK marketing director was pretty up front: ‘We will definitely launch that car in the UK. No problem.’ When CAR was then given a glimpse at the wider product plan for the Geely Auto brand in the UK, a model shaped very much like the Galaxy Cruiser was scheduled from 2028.
As you can tell, it’s quite heavily inspired by the Land Rover Defender, with Dachet quick to point out that it is also inspired by other off-roading icons like the Mercedes G-Class and Toyota Land Cruiser.
‘If you want to look at classic off-roaders, there’s always the same recipe whether you look at Defender, G wagon, Bronco etc.,’ says Dachet. ‘So it’s a matter of how we integrate it in a way that is recognisable. There is not so much off-road vehicle history in the Chinese car industry, so they always look up to these icons. We want to learn from it and add our own take on it.
‘But if the interior is going to be a lot more comfortable and safe feeling,’ adds Dachet, ‘then the customer will be more likely to buy one. It’s a strategically interesting approach – very different to what, say, Land Rover might have taken.’
The architecture underneath is Geely Group’s most advanced architecture yet. As well as steer-by-wire technology that allows for more driver assistance functions and air suspension, four-wheel steering allows for tighter turns when parking or even a crab mode similar to that of GMC’s Hummer EV.
It’s the same one used in the monolithic Zeekr 9X – an enormous three-row SUV that’s filled to the brim with luxuries and technology. The platform – named SEA-R, can develop up to 1380bhp and runs on a 900-volt architecture; Geely also claims a 780-mile range (with the 9X) via Chinese economy testing standards.
We’ll find out more when the production model of the Geely Galaxy Cruiser concept is unveiled later in 2026.
Jake has been an automotive journalist since 2015, joining CAR as Staff Writer in 2017. With a decade of car news and reviews writing under his belt, he became CAR's Deputy News Editor in 2020 and then News Editor in 2025. Jake's day-to-day role includes co-ordinating CAR's news content across its print, digital and social media channels. When he's not out interviewing an executive, driving a new car for review or on a photoshoot for a CAR feature, he's usually found geeking out on the latest video game, buying yet another pair of wildly-coloured trainers or figuring out where he can put another car-shaped Lego set in his already-full house.
By Jake Groves
CAR's news editor; gamer, trainer freak and serial Lego-ist