The trouble with modern SUVs is that nobody seems to know when to stop. A few years ago, four-wheel drive and a cupholder were considered adequate.

Now Geely has unveiled the Battleship 700, a Chinese plug-in hybrid off-roader that has enough power to embarrass a supercar, enough technology to run a small space programme and, rather wonderfully, a mode that lets it swim.

Yes, swim.

Revealed at the 2026 Paris Motor Show, the Battleship 700 will arrive in Europe in the second half of 2027. At more than five metres long, it looks like a military vehicle that’s been sent to the gym, with squared-off styling, a high bonnet and a spare wheel hanging off the rear door.

Power comes from a plug-in hybrid system, with outputs ranging from 469bhp to a frankly unnecessary 1,113bhp in the range-topping version. That latter model reaches 62mph in 3.95 seconds. In an SUV. One with a fridge.

There’s also a 47.14kWh battery, up to a claimed 305km of electric range on China’s optimistic CLTC test cycle, hydraulic suspension and enough screens, speakers and massage functions to make a luxury hotel suite feel under-equipped.

And here’s the rub. The Battleship 700 sounds brilliantly ridiculous, but its sheer abundance of everything raises an obvious question: do we really need an off-roader with 1,113bhp and a swimming mode?

Perhaps. If you regularly cross flooded rivers while entertaining six hundred horsepower’s worth of existential dread.

For everyone else, a sensible SUV and a decent holiday might be more than enough. Still, Geely has our attention. Any car that can out-accelerate a sports car and potentially paddle across a lake deserves at least a raised eyebrow.

European prices will be announced closer to launch.