Geely automotive in the uk: From Borrowing European Heritage to Relying on Chinese Technology

On October 23, London local time, Geely Automobile (00175.HK) held a non-deal roadshow for UK investors, coinciding with the launch of Geely's first global new energy vehicle, the Geely International EX5 (referred to as "EX5") in the UK.

Over the past few years, Geely has primarily relied on its European heritage brands, such as Volvo, Lynk & Co, and Polestar, to establish a presence in the European market. Now, the EX5 carries the pure Chinese brand label "GEELY." This signifies that after establishing a market foundation and recognition through European brands, Geely has entered a new phase of fully launching its main brand overseas. The launch of the EX5 in the UK is a representative event in this process.

"Not entering this place for the first time, but returning with a sense of belonging," as mentioned in Geely Auto's corporate promotional video at the EX5 launch event. This time, Geely did not position itself as an "outsider," but emphasized its identity as a "returnee" based on nearly twenty years of long-term operation and presence in the UK, aiming to bridge the psychological gap with local consumers.

"Geely" From Behind the Scenes to the Front Stage

Geely's expansion in the UK began in 2006. At that time, Geely established a partnership with the London Taxi Company (later renamed the London Electric Vehicle Company, LEVC) through investment, initiating its business layout in the UK. To this day, LEVC continues to produce zero-emission taxis.

Volvo, Polestar, and Lotus, brands under Geely, have become common brands on UK roads. The multi-brand strategy allows Geely to deeply engage in the UK car market without directly using the "Geely" brand. As of the first half of this year, Geely's automotive market share in the UK was 4.2%, with a 7.4% share in the new energy vehicle market.

The "Geely" brand itself is still relatively unfamiliar to mainstream consumers in the area. This time, Geely intends to emphasize the Chinese origins of the EX5. Mark Rendel, Chief Marketing Officer of Geely Auto UK, stated at the launch event: "The design of the Geely EX5 combines elegance and efficiency, inspired by Song Dynasty Chinese porcelain, which gives the vehicle's shape a restrained yet tasteful character..."

A British investor told the Economic Observer that, to his knowledge, British consumers do not have a significant brand preference for electric vehicles. A European brand electric vehicle is not necessarily more popular than a Chinese brand at the brand level. Moreover, some British consumers even consider Chinese brand electric vehicles to be more stylish and intelligent.

Despite the EX5's design emphasizing a Chinese style, its design team has a global background. Stephen Silaf, Vice President of Global Design at Geely Auto, stated in communications with investors and media such as Economic Observer that Geely Auto's project advancement cycle is much shorter than that of Western companies, which is very fulfilling for designers because they can quickly see results materialize. The management of Chinese enterprises is bold in decision-making; even if mistakes occur, they can adjust their goals during the advancement process and learn from errors.

Geely Automobile Group CEO Gan Jiayue told investors and media such as Economic Observer that there are three key factors for the successful internationalization of Chinese enterprises, including localized operations. Enterprises should fully leverage local talents, supply chains, distributors, and production capacity resources. Geely is actively engaging in comprehensive cooperation with companies around the world to achieve resource integration.

The intelligent cockpit chip of EX5 is based on Arm's technology for localization. Arm is a UK-based chip architecture design company with over 30 years of experience in the automotive sector, and almost all major global car manufacturers use Arm technology.

At the press conference, Geely also invited Arm executives to emphasize that "Arm technology has been fully implemented in the EX5," which serves as a deep endorsement of technological localization.

Besides its smart features, the chassis of the EX5 has been exclusively tuned by Lotus, a sports car brand from the UK, to ensure the vehicle provides a driving experience that meets European consumers' expectations of "excellent handling, rapid acceleration, and strong stability during driving."

According to official information, Geely Automobile plans to achieve annual sales of 100,000 vehicles in the UK market by 2030. As of the launch of Geely EX5, Geely Automobile has already established 25 sales outlets in the UK. By the end of 2026, Geely Automobile will have established 100 sales and service outlets in the UK.

Before entering the UK market, Geely Auto has established operations in 12 European countries, including Poland, Greece, and Croatia. Since the beginning of this year, Geely Auto has been actively expanding into the markets of Italy, Germany, France, Spain, and other European countries. In the next five years, Geely Auto plans to launch 15 brand-new models in Europe, establish over 1,000 sales outlets, and become a mainstream automobile brand in the European market.

Intelligent "Prudent" Implementation in Europe

In the wave of intelligence and electrification, Chinese car companies have demonstrated rapid technological innovation in the Chinese market. However, when entering the European market, where regulatory environments are more complex and user habits are well-established, this rapid pace must undergo "prudent" filtering to transform into an experience that better fits local needs and regulations. Balancing this fast and slow pace has become a challenge faced by Geely Auto.

Gan Jiayue stated that Geely's smart driving products will be gradually introduced to the European market, albeit at a slightly slower pace than in China. The main reason is that the products need to be developed in China first, and the European market has its unique standards. During the development process, a smart driving system that complies with European standards needs to be established simultaneously, which will result in a later launch time compared to China. However, Geely Auto's ultimate goal is to achieve equal smart driving experiences for users worldwide, allowing all customers to enjoy the same level of technology.

In March this year, Geely launched its intelligent driving solution "Qianli Haohan" in China. "Qianli Haohan" has planned five major levels of intelligent driving solutions: H1, H3, H5, H7, and H9. In June this year, at the CVPR Challenge, which is known as the "Olympics of autonomous driving algorithms," Zeekr's Qianli Haohan intelligent driving team won the world championship.

Facing British consumers, the EX5 emphasizes driving safety, with its intelligent driving features directly related to road safety. According to Mark Rendell, the EX5 is equipped with a full suite of advanced driver assistance systems, including a 360-degree panoramic camera, front and rear collision mitigation systems, adaptive cruise control, and blind spot monitoring.

At the press conference, Mark Rendell also presented information on the rigorous safety tests conducted on the EX5 short knife battery, including puncture tests, high-temperature furnace tests, corrosion tests, chassis scraping tests, and roller compaction tests.

Geely Auto has always maintained an open attitude regarding the idea of local production in Europe, according to Gan Jiayue. Geely's approach overseas is to "go out, go in, and go up," with localized supply chains and technological layout being central to "going up." Without localization, it is difficult to grow and strengthen in the local market. Geely will engage in relevant discussions with some companies with which it has good cooperative relationships.

Capacity issues are currently a hot topic in the automotive industry. In June this year, at the "2025 China Auto Chongqing Forum," Geely Holding Group Chairman Li Shufu stated that there is a severe overcapacity in today's global automotive industry. Geely has decided not to build new automobile production plants and will avoid redundant construction.

Gan Jiayue stated that in terms of Geely Automobile's current production capacity, Geely has mainly relied on existing capacity over the past few years, enhancing the efficiency of old bases through technological upgrades. At present, Geely's total production capacity is highly aligned with market demand, with multiple bases achieving full-load operation in two shifts. The year 2026 will be a significant year for Geely's products, with several new products from brands such as Galaxy, Lynk & Co, and Zeekr set to be launched in the market. It is expected that production and sales volumes in 2026 will continue to grow based on this year's figures, further demonstrating the benefits of economies of scale.

Gui Shengyue, Executive Director, Administrative President, and CEO of Geely Automobile Holdings Limited, stated to investors and media such as the Economic Observer that there is an issue of overcapacity in the global automobile industry. Geely has been actively utilizing the idle capacity of other manufacturers, aiming to be a responsible car company regarding capacity issues.