By Nora Eckert
DETROIT, April 3 (Reuters) - Popular car-shopping website Edmunds put a Chinese vehicle through a series of rigorous tests for the first time, and Editor-in-Chief Alistair Weaver came away with a notable impression: U.S. automakers have good reason for concern.
While Chinese cars are effectively banned in the United States, Edmunds wanted to test one because of growing U.S. consumer interest in the affordable, feature-packed vehicles. It got its hands on a Geely Galaxy M9 - an extended-range
SUV hybrid starting at about $25,000 in China - and put the vehicle through its full battery of testing to measure driving range, acceleration, braking and other performance characteristics.
Many of the M9's features are "ahead of the vehicles that we're driving in the U.S.," Weaver said after driving the vehicle around Edmunds' Los Angeles-based test track. "The technology is terrific."
A recent survey from Cox Automotive showed U.S. consumers are increasingly open to Chinese-brand vehicles, which are being kept out of the market by regulations, lawmaker opposition and tariffs around 100%. Some consumers are even scheming ways to get Chinese models over the border from Mexico, where they're prevalent, or Canada, where their presence is likely to grow after Canada eased trade barriers.
Geely said it provided the vehicle to Edmunds to demonstrate its global technological capabilities rather than signal a push to break into the U.S. market. "Geely continuously evaluates global markets, but our current commercial focus for the Galaxy M9 remains on China," a spokesperson said.
MATCHING PRICIER COMPETITORS
Edmunds got access to this vehicle after connecting with Geely executives at the CES trade show earlier this year, Weaver said. While new Chinese-brand cars can't be imported and sold, Edmunds can legally borrow the vehicle from Geely and drive it on U.S. roads.
Its staff drove the model around for about three weeks in everyday scenarios, like going to the grocery store, in addition to conducting a 227-point evaluation of its performance and functionality.
It found that the three-row Galaxy M9 SUV rivals vehicles twice its price, such as the fully loaded Hyundai Palisade, Kia Telluride or Toyota Grand Highlander. While the model would undoubtedly be priced higher if it were available in the U.S., Edmunds said it would still be competitive at double its current $25,000 starting price in China.
The Galaxy M9 offers a 30-inch infotainment screen, which Edmunds found to be as responsive as those in a Tesla. On top of the core tech, the M9 offers frills common in Chinese vehicles: a built-in fridge, exterior speakers and a flip-down entertainment screen for the second row.
The plug-in hybrid's estimated 808 miles of driving range surpasses projections from similar products slated to arrive soon from U.S. companies. Extended-range hybrids like the M9 have large batteries that power the vehicle like an EV and small gasoline engines that act primarily as generators to charge the battery. The M9 can travel about 100 miles on electric power alone before the generator is needed, according to Edmunds' tests.
Chinese automakers have offered extended-range hybrids for years. Major automakers including Ford and Stellantis are planning to introduce them in the U.S. as an alternative to slower-selling EVs.
China's ultra-competitive car market has pressured automakers to roll out increasingly feature-packed models at low prices, said Tu Le, founder of consultancy Sino Auto Insights. If those options are kept out of the U.S. market, especially as prices creep up, buyers will get frustrated, he said.
"We're seeing some of the most innovative products at the lowest prices, and consumers around the world are benefiting," Le said. "To keep them out 100%, full stop, that's what's going to upset people."
(Reporting by Nora Eckert in Detroit; Editing by Brian Thevenot and David Gaffen)
