Are fuel vehicles also going to be crazily integrated with intelligence?

Author | Wang Xiaojun

Editor | Chai Xuchen

As new energy vehicles elevate intelligence to new heights, traditional fuel vehicles are not sitting idle.

On September 23, Geely's new China Star series, the Dongfang Yao series, was officially launched, with a guide price ranging from 98,700 to 179,700 yuan. Among them, the official guide price for the three refreshed models of the Xingrui Dongfang Yao is 98,700 to 138,700 yuan; the official guide price for the three refreshed models of the Xingyue L is 158,700 to 179,700 yuan.

In a market environment where the penetration rate of new energy vehicles has surpassed 58%, both of these fuel vehicles are primarily marketed for their intelligence. The new cars are equipped with the GEEA 3.0 electronic and electrical architecture, Flyme Auto system, and Qianli Haohan H3 assisted driving system, attempting to create a new intelligent benchmark in the 100,000 to 150,000 yuan fuel vehicle market.

At the press conference, Fan Junyi, general manager of Geely Automobile Sales Company, stated that the usage scenarios for fuel vehicles are becoming more complex, with users hoping that the intelligent assisted driving of fuel vehicles can be as smart and reliable as that of electric vehicles.

It is evident that although users have chosen different energy sources, their pursuit of intelligence has not changed due to the difference in energy types.

Especially when new users of fuel vehicles are no longer the majority, this user demand may be more easily overlooked. According to the predicted data from the Passenger Car Association, the retail sales of new energy vehicles are expected to reach 1.25 million units this month, with a penetration rate climbing to 58.1%, while fuel vehicles are expected to be 900,000 units.

However, the fuel vehicle market still has a solid user base. In the first half of 2025, the domestic fuel vehicle base is expected to remain at 49.9%, still occupying half of the passenger car market. Companies like Geely, which continue to invest in fuel vehicles, are precisely targeting this market space, choosing a dual development strategy of "parallel oil and electricity."

In this upgrade, the Geely China Star new Dongfang Yao series adopts the GEEA 3.0 electronic and electrical architecture, fundamentally changing the traditional distributed electronic and electrical architecture of fuel vehicles. This architecture is equivalent to equipping the entire vehicle with a "central super brain," increasing the vehicle's signal transmission speed by 200 times and achieving seamless installation of firmware across the entire vehicle.

In terms of intelligent assisted driving, the new car is equipped for the first time with the Qianli Haohan H3 intelligent driving solution. This system uses a combination of 11 high-definition cameras, 3 millimeter-wave radars, and 12 ultrasonic radars, with computing power exceeding 128 TOPS, supporting functions such as high-speed NOA (Navigation Assisted Driving).

In terms of the intelligent cockpit, the new car is equipped with the Flyme Auto intelligent vehicle system, built on the Qualcomm 8155 automotive-grade chip. The system's Xingrui AI large model deeply integrates 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 matched with the Aisin 8AT golden power combination; the chassis is equipped with BorgWarner's sixth-generation electro-hydraulic four-wheel drive system, AI digital chassis, and CCD variable damping suspension, ensuring the vehicle's handling stability and comfort under various road conditions The relationship between fuel vehicles and new energy vehicles is not simply one of replacement, but rather a long-term coexistence and complementary development. On a technical level, while the range of electric vehicles continues to improve, it is still greatly affected by environmental factors; fuel vehicles have stable range and quick refueling, making them suitable for long-distance travel and complex road conditions.

In addition to technology, many users simply prefer fuel vehicles. Taking Geely as an example, in the first half of the year, Geely Auto's total sales exceeded 1.4 million units, with a market share of 10.4% across all categories. The "Chinese Star" series, composed of models like the Xingrui and Xingyue L, not only ranks first in sales among Chinese brand fuel vehicles but also achieved a year-on-year growth of 21%.

In other words, in the future automotive market landscape, fuel vehicles will still hold a significant share, and the upgrading and iteration of fuel vehicles remains an important topic for automakers