This Chinese Land Rover Defender lookalike packs 1,128hp, three electric motors and AI-powered off-roading – and it’s coming to the UK
Car changing is a big deal
The boxy 4×4 from Chinese manufacturing giant Geely will have some serious off-road chops, and bosses have already told us it’s ‘definitely’ going to be sold in the UK.
This monster is the Geely Galaxy Cruiser, and it’s the production version of the concept car we’ve already seen in China. It’s a hardcore off-roader, with a design very clearly inspired by the Land Rover Defender – but in typical Chinese brand fashion, it’s had all the stats turned up to 11 and will reportedly arrive with a three-motor plug-in hybrid powertrain producing a crazy 1,128hp.
When we saw the Galaxy Cruiser Concept out in China, Geely’s UK marketing director told us: ‘We will definitely launch the car in the UK’. A product roadmap confirmed that it was planned for launch in 2028, heading the Geely UK model lineup. The car’s name hasn’t been fully confirmed but it’s likely to be either Galaxy Cruiser 700 or Battleship 700.
It’s one of many boxy Chinese off-roaders, but was the first to be fully confirmed for UK sale – though it’ll be beaten to market by the BYD Ti7, which opens for orders later in 2026, as well as the Denza B5. Myriad alternatives exist in its home market too, such as the Jetour T2, Tank 300, ROX 01 and iCaur V27 to name but a few – all sharing impressive stats and Solihull-inspired styling.
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Geely Galaxy Cruiser: design
There’s no getting away from the Galaxy Cruiser’s similarities to that well-known SUV. The Land Rover Defender’s DNA is present everywhere from the clamshell bonnet to the blacked-out ‘floating’ roofline. It even gets LED headlights that look very similar to the Defender’s circular daytime running lights, not to mention the side-mounted ladder and storage pods that could have come straight from JLR’s accessories catalogue.
Not everything is the same, though – the rear has a distinctive set of upright taillights, while a black styling line runs from the tailgate through to the spare wheel cover. The front grille is also illuminated, while the headlights have a defined brow that makes them look quite angry.
Inside, the Galaxy Cruiser is much more of its own thing. There’s a big floating touchscreen while the gears and drive modes are selected via a chunky aircraft-style handle in the centre console. The interior of the production model hasn’t yet been unveiled, though, so we’re not sure whether this will remain the case.
The derivative styling isn’t an accident. Geely’s design director Flavien Dachet told us that Chinese brands don’t have a lot of off-road heritage to draw from, so they “always look up to some of those international icons”.
“Whether you’re looking at the Defender, the G-wagen, the Bronco, the classic, the [design] codes are the same. So it’s a matter of how we interpret it in a way that is recognisable.”
Geely Galaxy Cruiser: engine
There’s been little revealed about the engine, but Geely has said it’ll produce a massive 1,128hp through its three electric motors. Geely already told us it’d use similar underpinnings to the Galaxy M9 SUV, so that means a plug-in hybrid system with a 1.5-litre petrol engine acting solely as a generator while the electric motors drive the wheels.
You can expect an impressive all-electric range too, though the boxier dimensions mean it probably won’t hit the Galaxy M9’s impressive 130-mile figure due to the added weight and wind resistance.
What does an AI-powered off-roader mean?
Don’t worry – your car’s not about to start hallucinating and insisting you use the em dash. But it should make off-road driving more effortless than ever, with a system that can recognize obstacles and hazards and brake, accelerate and steer the car accordingly. Self-driving greenlaning might seem to be missing the point a bit, but it’s certainly impressive.
The AI system will also decide whether it needs to use front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive on the move – with a fluid-coupled locking mechanism for the driveshafts allowing shifting on the fly.
Other features are enabled by the Galaxy Cruiser’s chassis and underpinnings. Already used in the (production) Geely Galaxy M9 SUV, it’s a fully by-wire system, so there’s no physical connection between the driver and the wheels for steering or braking. That enables things like variable-ratio steering, where the same amount of rotation on the steering wheel will turn the front wheels different amounts depending on speed.
With four-wheel steering, the Galaxy Cruiser can even crab-walk. It’s also capable of on-the-spot ‘tank turns’ and can wade up to 800mm of water. Or if you find some water that’s a bit deeper, it can float for up to two hours, and ‘drive’ at up to 4.6 knots.
In its home market the Galaxy Cruiser will come with LiDAR for improved self-driving, but most Chinese vehicles have this removed before going on sale in the UK.
Who’s the Geely Galaxy Cruiser for?
Off-roading will clearly be a focus, and Geely’s designer Dachet told us that during testing it ‘went way beyond what we were expecting in terms of capacity’. But it’s also meant to be a sensible, super-safe family car. Part of that is the so-called ‘Golden Short Blade’ battery pack, which has a bulletproof coating and an internal makeup designed to resist catching on fire – even if it’s completely punctured.
When will it come to the UK?
Geely’s UK marketing director Tianxiao Yan told us ‘We will definitely launch the car in the UK’. A product roadmap confirmed that it was planned for launch in 2028, heading the Geely UK model lineup.
As for pricing, Chinese brands are notorious for undercutting the established European, Japanese and Korean alternatives – so you can expect the Galaxy Cruiser to look particularly keenly priced next to the plug-in hybrid Land Rover Defender.
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