Wait, what? Shouldn’t it be called ‘Lasergun’ or something?
It might well be. There’s no official name for Project KO11 as yet, but Geely’s very rough badging policy is that its EVs get alphanumeric badges (EX2, EX5) and its PHEVs – that’s ‘plug-in hybrid electric vehicles’ – get a name.
On that note, He managed to pull off his passable impression of Peter Falk’s most-famous on-screen character after revealing the Monjaro SUV.
Having *almost* finished the press conference for that car, He then added: “We have one more thing…”, and then promptly the Project KO11 was revealed. All he was missing was a big cigar, a trenchcoat and a Basset Hound.
So after Monjaro and Starray, we have…?
The Geely Galaxy Cruiser. Well, at least, that’s what it’s called in its homeland. And there are rumours it will retain that name for its European adventure.
Oh, Toyota WILL be pleased with that one, no doubt.
No comment. But that’s precisely the sort of vehicle the Galaxy Project Cruiser KO11 is targeted to go up against.
Not only the Land Cruiser, but also the Mercedes G-Wagen and (it can’t have escaped your attention, as the KO11 looks a lot like it) the Defender.
Sling in outliers such as the Ineos Grenadier and imported versions of Ford’s Bronco, and you can see the class Geely is targeting.
Annoyingly for the Chinese brand, it has been somewhat beaten to the punch by the Denza Bao 5, from the upmarket adjunct of Geely’s rival outfit BYD. That’s already in the public domain in Europe.
Is the Galaxy Cruiser similar to the Bao 5?
From the few details we have on the new Geely model, yes. The KO11 is classed as a new-generation, high-performance, all-terrain SUV with a plug-in-hybrid drivetrain.
Geely simply says the KO11 is “extremely powerful and fast”, but as the most potent model in the manufacturer’s present range (newly announced Monjaro notwithstanding) is the 262hp Starray EM-i, it’s not clear by how much the 4x4 will be clearing the rest of the field.
For reference, the Denza Bao 5 competitor has 544hp from its PHEV powertrain, although on our first drive of it the thing felt like it had about a third of that amount as it weighs the same as County Cork.
Anyway, according to that source of all reliable knowledge Wikipedia, there’s a version of the Galaxy Cruiser 700 available in Geely’s homeland with a stonking great 1,128hp and 1,330Nm.
That… surely wouldn’t be necessary over here, would it?
Would you say Geely is targeting sheer power with this thing?
No, as we said at the Monjaro’s reveal, we have our fingers crossed that the KO11 (or whatever it turns out to be called) will be decent to drive, because the EX2, EX5 and Starray ride in a fairly assured fashion, and we’re thinking the Monjaro will go the same way once we get to test-drive that.
Geely itself says outright performance is “only part of the story”. The KO11 is said to have been engineered for demanding terrain, through the fitment of advanced suspension, all-terrain drive modes and some mysterious new functions that will be announced at a later date after the Columbo-like Paris debut.
And speaking of announcements at a later date, full details on the Project KO11’s European availability and specifications, and its proper full on-sale name, will drop further down the line, before it arrives in this part of the world by the end of 2027.
If there is anything about this story we have not covered, you can avail of our expert advice service via the Ask Us Anything page.