Geely opened pre-sales for the Preface i-HEV on April 19 with a starting price of 107,700 yuan (15,600 US dollars) and a fuel consumption number that does not look real. The hybrid sedan is rated at 3.98 liters per 100 kilometers on the WLTC cycle. That puts the Preface at roughly 59 US miles per gallon, in a front-engine sedan priced below the Toyota Corolla Hybrid by about half.
Power is not the compromise. The 1.5-liter gasoline engine pairs with an 11-in-1 integrated electric drive unit for a combined 230 kW (308 hp). Geely quotes a 0 to 30 km/h time of 1.84 seconds, which is the number that matters in congested Chinese city traffic, with a 10-millisecond throttle response. The transmission is a three-speed dedicated hybrid transmission (DHT), which is uncommon outside of BYD's DM-i and Great Wall's Hi4 stacks.
Three Trims, All Under 18,000 Dollars
Pricing lands as follows:
- Lingyun Edition: 107,700 yuan (15,600 USD)
- Xinghan Edition: 113,700 yuan (16,500 USD)
- Wangshu Edition: 119,700 yuan (17,300 USD)
A 1,700-dollar spread covers the entire lineup. The base Lingyun is not stripped: Flyme Auto infotainment, a 14.6-inch central display, a 10.2-inch digital cluster, Qualcomm 8155 compute for the cockpit, and the Qianli Haohan G-ASD H3 driver-assistance system with 128 TOPS of compute all come standard. The Wangshu adds a 16-speaker audio setup with headrest speakers, 50-watt wireless charging, and ventilated and heated seats.
The 3.98L Number, Unpacked
Geely is running a series-parallel hybrid architecture that can drive purely electric up to 66 km/h, which is roughly 20 percent higher than the typical Chinese series-parallel cut-off. In urban conditions where the car never leaves EV mode, the certified 3.98L/100km figure effectively ignores the gasoline engine entirely. On the highway, the three-speed DHT engages the ICE as direct drive above the EV cap, at which point the number moves closer to 5.5L/100km in real-world tests of comparable Geely hybrids.
The WLTC number is honest for commuting. It is not the number a road-trip buyer should plan around. That distinction matters because Chinese media publishes the WLTC figure as the headline, and the cars are sold against that number.
What the Preface Actually Is
The Preface, known internally as Xingrui, is a mid-size sedan in the 4.8-meter length class: 4,825 mm long, 1,869 mm wide, 1,469 mm tall, on a 2,800 mm wheelbase. The hybrid version keeps the sheet metal of the existing gasoline Preface and swaps the drivetrain. Design cues include the brand's "Silk Road Peaks" grille and a raised hood line that reads more European than anything Geely has shipped in the 100,000-yuan bracket before.
The segment math works out badly for the competition. A VW Jetta VS7 PHEV currently lists around 140,000 yuan. A BYD Seal 05 DM-i starts at 115,000 yuan. The Preface i-HEV at 107,700 yuan puts Geely below both, with a better-equipped cabin and a more aggressive 0-to-30 number.
Pre-sale orders open today. Geely did not confirm a retail launch date or first-delivery window at the pre-sale announcement, which is the usual signal that the official launch follows the Beijing Auto Show. First customer deliveries should begin within four weeks of the show opening on April 24.
