Are fuel-powered cars about to fiercely join the smart technology race, too?

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Author | Wang Xiaojuan

Editor | Chai Xuchen

While new energy vehicles are taking intelligence to new heights, traditional fuel vehicles have not sat idly by awaiting doom.

On September 23, Geely China Star's brand-new Dongfang Yao series was officially launched, with a suggested retail price of 98,700 to 179,700 yuan. Of these, the Star Rui Dongfang Yao refreshed models are officially priced at 98,700 to 138,700 yuan; the three refreshed models of Xingyue L are priced from 158,700 to 179,700 yuan.

In a market environment where the penetration rate of new energy vehicles has surpassed 58%, these two fuel vehicles both tout intelligence as their main selling point. The new cars are equipped with the GEEA 3.0 electronic and electrical architecture, Flyme Auto system, and Qianli Haohan H3 assisted driving system, aiming to set a new intelligent benchmark in the 100,000–150,000 yuan level fuel car market.

At the press conference, Fan Junyi, general manager of Geely Automobile Sales Company, stated that the scenarios for fuel vehicles are even more complex, and some users hope that the intelligent assisted driving of fuel vehicles could be as smart and reliable as in electric vehicles.

This shows that even though users choose different energy sources, their pursuit of intelligence has not changed due to the difference in energy type.

Especially now that new users of fuel vehicles are no longer the vast majority, such user demands may be more easily overlooked. According to CAAM's forecast data, the retail sales volume of NEVs this month is expected to reach 1.25 million units, with a penetration rate climbing to 58.1%, while fuel vehicles are expected to be at 900,000 units.

However, the fuel vehicle market still has a solid user base. In the first half of 2025, the scale of the domestic fuel vehicle base plate will remain at 49.9%, still occupying half of the passenger car market. Car companies like Geely that continue to focus on fuel vehicles have set their sights on this market space, opting for a dual-track "oil and electricity parallel" development strategy.

In this upgrade, the brand-new Dongfang Yao series adopts the GEEA 3.0 electronic and electrical architecture, completely changing the distributed electronic and electrical architecture of traditional fuel vehicles. This architecture is tantamount to installing a “central super brain” for the entire car, increasing vehicle signal transmission speed by 200 times and enabling seamless installation of full-domain firmware for the whole vehicle.

On the intelligent assisted driving front, the new car is equipped for the first time with the Qianli Haohan H3 intelligent driving solution. The system uses a combination of 11 HD cameras, 3 millimeter-wave radars, and 12 ultrasonic radars, with computing power exceeding 128 TOPS, and supports functions like highway NOA (Navigation Assisted Driving).

In terms of intelligent cockpit, the new car uses the Flyme Auto intelligent vehicle system, built on the Qualcomm 8155 automotive-grade chip. The system's Xingrui AI large model is deeply integrated with the DeepSeek large model, providing fuel vehicle users with a smoother language interaction experience.

While fully embracing intelligence, the new Dongfang Yao series retains the core advantages of fuel vehicles. The new car is equipped with a 2.0TD high-power engine and Aisin 8AT golden powertrain; chassis features include the sixth-generation BorgWarner electronic-hydraulic four-wheel drive system, AI digital chassis, CCD variable damping suspension and other configurations to ensure vehicle stability and comfort in various road conditions.

The relationship between fuel vehicles and NEVs is not simple substitution, but long-term coexistence and complementary development. On the technical level, although the range of electric vehicles keeps increasing, it is still greatly affected by environmental factors; fuel vehicles’ range is stable and refueling is rapid, making them suitable for long trips and complex road conditions.

Aside from technology, many users simply prefer fuel vehicles. Take Geely as an example: in the first half of the year, Geely's total sales exceeded 1.4 million vehicles, with a full-category market share reaching 10.4%. Among these, the "China Star" series represented by Xingrui and Xingyue L not only topped sales of Chinese-brand fuel cars, but also achieved a counter-trend year-on-year growth of 21%.

In other words, in the layout of the future car market, fuel vehicles still occupy a significant share, and upgrading and iteration of fuel vehicles remains an important issue for automakers.

Risk Warning and DisclaimerThe market has risks, investment should be cautious. This article does not constitute personal investment advice, nor does it consider the special investment objectives, financial standing, or needs of individual users. Users should consider whether any opinions, views, or conclusions in this article are suitable for their specific circumstances. Investments made accordingly are at your own risk. ```