Geely’s Australian lineup tends to be a very good barometer of what we can expect to see from Proton in Malaysia, given that it is one of the largest right-hand-drive markets for the Chinese carmaker. You may remember that last year, we caught wind of the Starray EM-i/Galaxy Starship 7 making its way to the island continent, and that car eventually wound up here as the Proton eMas 7 PHEV.
Well, we may have struck gold again. CarExpert has reported that the Galaxy Starshine 6 is off to Australia early next year as the Emgrand EM-i. The plug-in hybrid sedan’s forthcoming RHD conversion immediately raises the possibility of it coming to our shores as a Proton eMas model (eMas 6 PHEV, perhaps?), particularly as it plays in the lower – and most importantly, cheaper – reaches of the four-door market.
Let’s not forget, Proton teased a sedan eMas model way back in July 2024 when it launched the new energy vehicle (NEV) sub-brand, ahead of the eMas 7 EV’s arrival later that year. The side profile looked suspiciously like the S70‘s, and given that the Emgrand EM-i is based on the new fifth-generation Emgrand – the successor to the car that spawned the S70, remember – it’s starting to make a whole lot of sense.
Mind you, the Emgrand EM-i is quite a bit larger than the S70. Measuring 4,806 mm long, 1,886 mm wide and 1,490 mm tall – with a 2,756 mm wheelbase – it’s bigger than even the Honda Civic and encroaches into D-segment territory. However, it still uses torsion beam rear suspension, rather than the independent multilink setup that has become de rigueur for this size of car.
The Chinese-market Galaxy Starshine 6 comes with the least powerful version of Geely’s efficiency-biased EM-i powertrain, with its electric traction motor producing 163 PS (120 kW) and 210 Nm of torque. This is paired with a 111 PS/136 Nm BHE15 1.5 litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine and a 11-in-1 single-speed dedicated hybrid transmission (DHT).
This engine, which delivers a record thermal efficiency of 47.26%, will likely be swapped out for the eMas 7 PHEV’s less powerful 99 PS/125 Nm mill for international markets. What probably won’t change is the choice of LFP batteries – an 8.5 kWh pack delivering a pure electric range of 60 km, and a 17 kWh unit that pushes up the EV range to 125 km (range figures are on China’s lenient CLTC cycle).
Down Under, the Emgrand EM-i will be joined in 2027 by a pair of large PHEV SUVs sitting above the Starray EM-i/Proton eMas 7 PHEV, these being a five-seater and a seven-seater. Given the price-sensitive nature of the Malaysian market – especially when it comes to national cars – we’re not expecting the bigger five-seater to come anytime soon, although a seven-seater would usefully broaden the eMas lineup.
Also unlikely is the Galaxy Battleship 700, a massive tech-heavy off-roader that aims to unseat the Denza B8 as the most over-engineered Chinese 4×4 – replete with powertrain technology from the ultra-luxe Zeekr 9X. Even with the import and excise duty exemptions afforded to national carmakers, a Proton costing well north of RM200,000 (maybe even over RM300,000) would not go down well with the buying public.
GALLERY: Geely Galaxy Starshine 6 at Auto China 2026
The post Geely Emgrand EM-i confirmed for Australia – global name for Galaxy Starshine 6, Proton eMas coming? appeared first on Paul Tan’s Automotive News.
