As China's midsize sedan segment shrinks at nearly 20% a year, Geely has chosen this moment to launch a new flagship. The Xingrui L PLUS, unveiled on September 16, is a petrol-electric hybrid that aims to reset expectations for what a B-segment car can offer, according to Chinese outlet D1EV.
Retail sales of midsize cars in China fell 18.7% year-on-year to 1.546 million units in the first seven months of 2026, and July alone dropped 19.1% to 215,000 units, according to Gasgoo Auto Industry Big Data. The segment, once the most profitable for automakers, is losing ground to new-energy vehicles and a price war.
The Xingrui L PLUS is priced from 125,700 yuan (about $17,700) to 155,700 yuan (about $21,900) as a Chinese guide price before taxes and incentives, with a limited-time starting price of 115,700 yuan (about $16,300). It measures 4,956 mm in length with a 2,845 mm wheelbase, placing it squarely in the midsize class.
Hybrid, lidar, and adaptive suspension
Geely says the car is the first Chinese-brand petrol midsize sedan to offer lidar. It comes with a 1.5TD hybrid-specific engine with a thermal efficiency of 48.41%, which the company claims is the highest among mass-produced engines globally. The i-HEV system achieves a WLTC combined fuel consumption of 3.0 litres per 100 km, 41% lower than conventional petrol cars and 10% lower than traditional hybrids, per official figures.
The car also features urban NOA (city advanced driver assistance) and highway NOA, powered by a 3R11V1L sensor suite and the Qianli Haohan H5 solution. Inside, it uses the Flyme Auto 2 operating system with a 15.4-inch 2.5K screen and 23 speakers. The chassis is based on Geely's CMA architecture, with a torsional rigidity of 29,000 N·m/deg, and the CCD variable-damper suspension is co-tuned by Lotus Engineering. The moose test result is 80.2 km/h.
A strategic move for Geely
The launch comes as Geely's China Star series, which includes the Xingrui L PLUS, has been the top-selling Chinese-brand petrol car line for nine consecutive years, with 750,000 units sold from January to August 2026 and a 10.5% market share in August. Geely's first-half revenue rose 14.7% to 173.6 billion yuan, but net profit attributable to shareholders fell 2% to 9.09 billion yuan, reflecting the high cost of new-energy investments.
Geely plans to apply i-HEV hybrid technology to all new flagship models in the China Star PLUS series, and will stop developing new pure-petrol models. The Xingrui L PLUS, with its aggressive pricing and advanced features, is seen as a bid to defend Geely's petrol-car base while the company transitions to electrification. The midsize segment may continue to shrink, but as long as it generates volume, automakers will keep upgrading their offerings.
