Geely Galaxy Cruiser: Chinese Defender Rival With 1,128 HP Heads to the UK in 2028

Geely has confirmed the Galaxy Cruiser for the UK market in 2028. It’s a full-size SUV with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, three electric motors and styling that unmistakably nods to the Land Rover Defender.

The resemblance to the British icon is impossible to miss: upright bodywork, chiselled proportions, a “floating” roof, a clamshell bonnet, side-mounted storage pods and plenty of off-road hardware. Geely is trying to add its own touches — an illuminated grille, sharper headlights, vertical tail-lights and a signature spare-wheel housing. Design director Flavien Dachet openly admits that Chinese brands look to the Defender, Mercedes-Benz G-Class and Ford Bronco for guidance, but are gradually finding their own visual language.

The mechanicals are even louder than the looks. The SUV will use a three-motor plug-in hybrid system with a combined output of 1,128 hp. The platform is shared with the Geely Galaxy M9: a 1.5-litre petrol engine works as a generator while the wheels are driven by electric motors. The setup should deliver serious performance and electric-only running, although the EV-only range is yet to be revealed and is likely to fall short of the more aerodynamic M9.

The real headline act is the off-road electronics. Geely is promising an AI-powered system that doesn’t just react to driver inputs but actively reads obstacles and surfaces, adjusting the steering, brakes, throttle and four-wheel-drive system on the fly. The car can switch between front-, rear- and all-wheel drive while moving.

The feature list reads like an engineering showcase: four-wheel steering, a “crab walk” mode, near-on-the-spot turns, a 800 mm wading depth, the ability to stay afloat for up to two hours and to move across water at up to 4.6 knots. For a family SUV, that’s less a list of daily-use scenarios than a flex of engineering muscle.

The battery is the Golden Short Blade unit, engineered to resist physical damage and lower the risk of thermal runaway even after a serious puncture. In China the model is expected to come with LiDAR, but whether the UK version will keep it remains an open question.

For the UK, the Galaxy Cruiser will be a direct shot at the plug-in hybrid Defender and other premium off-roaders. Geely is likely to play the familiar Chinese card: more power, more screens, more features and more off-road electronics for less money.

The Galaxy Cruiser signals a new chapter in China’s expansion: the fight is no longer just with mainstream crossovers, but with the icons of premium off-roading.