Geely launches methanol-powered PHEV sedan in China

Key highlights:

• Geely’s Xingyao 6 EF runs on methanol, petrol or electricity
• Higher grades offer a claimed 230km electric range
• Farizon targets 4000 methanol refuelling stations by 2027

Geely has launched the Xingyao 6 EF, also known as the Galaxy Starshine 6 EF, in China, and the four-door sedan is claimed to be the world’s first mass-produced plug-in hybrid that can run on methanol, petrol and electricity.

Roughly the size of a Toyota Camry, the new model combines a petrol engine, an electric motor and a flexible-fuel system that can use either methanol or petrol in the same tank. Geely says the technology is designed to tackle a key problem with electric vehicles in freezing conditions: the significant drop in driving range during winter.

Methanol, petrol and electric power in one car

The Xingyao 6 EF can operate on 100% methanol or 100% petrol, and it can also drive using electric power alone, with higher-grade versions offering a claimed 230km range under China’s CLTC testing cycle. 

Geely claims the sedan can travel up to 1250km using methanol and a fully charged battery; switch to petrol, and the combined claimed range increases to 1880km.

The company describes the model as a complementary option rather than a replacement for conventional hybrids or fully electric vehicles.

“Geely positions the Xingyao 6 not as a replacement for electric or conventional hybrid models, but as a complementary solution that fills a critical gap in cold-climate and long-distance sustainable green mobility,” the company said.

The sedan combines a naturally aspirated 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine with a front-mounted electric motor, and Geely offers two lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery options, depending on the model grade.

The larger battery gives the two higher grades an additional 100km of claimed electric-only driving range over the entry-level version.

Designed for extreme cold weather

Geely says the Xingyao 6 EF’s engine has been specifically developed to run on methanol and claims the engine achieves thermal efficiency of 48.15%, which it describes as the highest figure among mass-produced methanol engines globally. The company has also engineered the system to start at temperatures “approaching minus 40 degrees Celsius”.

That capability targets a specific challenge in northern China, where freezing winter conditions can significantly reduce the driving range of battery-electric vehicles. Geely says its methanol technology directly addresses this problem by allowing the vehicle to use liquid fuel when conditions make electric driving less practical.

Also read: Hyundai keeps hydrogen cars alive in Australia as Nexo future remains uncertain

Geely has a longer history with methanol vehicles

Although Geely calls the Xingyao 6 EF the world’s first production methanol hybrid sedan, it is neither the first methanol hybrid nor the first such vehicle from the company.

Geely introduced the methanol-powered Emgrand hybrid (HEV) in China in 2022. The company also documented the model’s introduction in its sustainability reporting as part of its broader push towards carbon neutrality.

That earlier Emgrand used a larger 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine, with a claimed thermal efficiency of 41.5%, and it was primarily designed to run on methanol and used a separate petrol tank for starting the engine. Geely’s methanol-powered vehicles go back even further. 

In 2013, the SC7 joined the taxi fleet in Jinzhong, Shanxi, under a government pilot programme. By the end of 2024, Geely reported that its methanol-powered vehicles were operating in more than 50 Chinese cities as the company worked towards its carbon-neutrality target for 2045.

Farizon expands Geely’s methanol infrastructure

Geely has also been developing a wider green methanol ecosystem through Farizon, its commercial vehicle brand. In its latest sustainability report, announced in May 2026, the company said Farizon had expanded its green methanol operations in China.

Geely reported that Farizon had established more than 1000 methanol refuelling stations across China, and the commercial vehicle brand has set a target of increasing that network to 4000 stations by the end of 2027.

The Xingyao 6 EF therefore forms part of a much broader methanol strategy, extending beyond passenger cars into commercial vehicles and refuelling infrastructure.

Will the Geely methanol hybrid come to Australia?

Geely Australia has not announced any plans to introduce the Xingyao 6 EF locally. However, the sedan shares its underpinnings with the Geely Emgrand L EM-i, a petrol plug-in hybrid confirmed for Australia, and it is scheduled to arrive in the first half of 2027.

Both models use Geely’s GEA global intelligent electric architecture, which also underpins the Geely EX2 electric hatchback and EX5 mid-size electric SUV already sold in Australia.

Methanol is not commonly available at Australian service stations. However, motorsport uses it because of its high octane rating, which allows suitably designed engines to operate with higher compression ratios for greater power and efficiency.