The group owns a 9.7% stake in
Mercedes-Benz Group. It also held a 7.6% shareholding in Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings plc, the owner of British car brand
Aston Martin.[20]
In 2024, the group produced a total of 2.79 million vehicles globally. 980,000 units were
plug-in electric vehicles.[2]
Overview
Geely is a phonetic
transliteration of the company's native name 吉利 (
pinyin: Jílì), which means "auspicious" or "propitious" in
Chinese.[21]
Zhejiang Geely Holding Group was already manufacturing its own cars before it acquired the Swedish passenger car maker
Volvo Cars from
Ford Motor Company in 2010.[22] It completed the acquisition of British taxi maker
London Electric Vehicle Company in 2013,[23] and acquired a majority stake in British sports carmaker
Lotus Cars in 2017.[24]
The company's business is divided into five sub-groups: Geely Auto Group which includes the brands Geely Auto, Lynk & Co,
Proton Holdings, and Lotus; Volvo Car Group which includes the brands Volvo Cars and
Polestar; Geely New Energy Commercial Vehicle Group which include the brands London Electric Vehicle Company and Yuan Cheng (Farizon); Geely Group (New Business) which includes the brands Caocao,
Terrafugia,
Qianjiang Motorcycle,
Joma, and other new businesses; and Mitime Group (铭泰集团) which includes ZGH educational institutions, motorsports business, and tourism business; It has global operations spanning the automotive value chain, including research, development and design to production, sales and service.[25]
Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd (吉利汽车; Jílì Qìchē) (
SEHK:
175), a subsidiary of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, is listed on the
Hong Kong Stock Exchange.[26] On 13 February 2017, it became a constituent of the
Hang Seng Index.[27]
History
Li Shufu, the founder of Geely Group, has described the company's development as encompassing three eras: the "1.0era" of machinery, the "2.0era" of electronics, and the "3.0era" of intelligence.[28][29]
1997–2007, "1.0era"
Shufu founded Geely in 1986 as a refrigerator maker, borrowing funds from family.[21][30]
After the purchase of a state-run firm,[31] Geely manufactured motorcycles in the mid-1990s.[32] Small van production began in 1998,[33] and a year later, it received state approval to manufacture automobiles.[33] Car production began in 2002.[30] A subsidiary of the group, Geely Auto, had its
initial public offering on the
Stock Exchange of Hong Kong in 2004.[26]
Geely approached
Ford Motor Company in mid-2008 about a possible takeover of Volvo Cars. On 28October 2009, it was named as the preferred buyer of Volvo by the American automaker.[35] A deal was reached in late March and completed in early August 2010.[36]
In 2010, total sales of over 415,000 units gave the company a near two percent market share.[37][38] Sales were lower than a reported 680,000 units per year production capacity.[39]
In December 2011, it was announced that Geely would begin selling Chinese designed and manufactured cars in the United Kingdom at the end of 2012, with the first model to go on sale being the
Emgrand EC7.[40][41] At that time, the company also stated its intention to begin sales in Italy.[42]
2014–present, "3.0 era"
In May 2017, Geely confirmed plans to purchase a 51% controlling-stake in
Lotus Cars[43] from its owner,
DRB-HICOM (
Proton).[9] Additionally, Geely was said to have plans to purchase a 49.9% stake in
Proton Holdings, to facilitate future export growth in
right-hand drive markets.[10][44] The deals were part of the company's financial strategy of making inroads into the lucrative
ASEAN region.[24]
In July 2017, the company purchased
Terrafugia, an American maker of
flying cars.[45] In November 2017, Geely announced completion of the Terrafugia acquisition, including approval from all relevant regulators.[46]
In December 2017, Geely invested €3.25billion into Swedish truck and construction company
Volvo Group, a former parent company of
Volvo Cars.[47] The deal made Geely the biggest shareholder by number of shares with an 8.2% stake, and second by voting rights, with 15.6%.[47]
In September 2019, Geely led a round of private funding for
Volocopter that raised $55million for the company. Volocopter's other private investors also include Daimler AG which owns a stake in the company.[49]
In late July 2020, it was announced that the Xingma Group had agreed to transfer a 15.2% stake of its shares in the
Ma'anshan-based heavy truck manufacturer
Hualing Xingma to Geely New Energy Commercial Vehicle Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of Geely Holdings. After the transaction, Geely New Energy Commercial Vehicle Group would become the de facto controlling shareholder of Hualing Xingma.[50]
In September 2020, Geely started talks with rival car manufacturers, including Daimler AG, to license a new architecture it developed for building electric cars. The new technology is purported to offer increased driving ranges of up to 700 km (430 mi) and lighter cars.[51]
Geely is set[when?] to create an electric vehicle joint venture together with
Baidu, a Chinese multinational technology company specializing in Internet-related services, products, and artificial intelligence. Baidu would develop the electric car's software while Geely would manufacture the car itself.[52][53]
On 23March 2021, Geely announced the launch of its
Zeekr brand of electric vehicles. The first 001 Zeeker was launched in April 2021, and deliveries began in October 2021.[54]
In August 2021, Geely formed a
strategic partnership with
Renault, with a car production joint venture for China.[55] In January 2022, the two companies signed an agreement by which Renault's South Korean subsidiary,
Renault Korea Motors, would produce vehicles based on Geely
Compact Modular Architecture platform,[56][57] initially intended for the domestic market. As of January 2022[update], production was slated to start by 2024.[58] In May 2022, Renault said a Geely subsidiary was set to acquire a 34% of
Renault Korea Motors through capital increase as part of their partnership, although the company would continue to be majority owned by Renault and a consolidated subsidiary of it.[59][60] In November 2022, Renault said it plans to combine its powertrain production and development operations (including internal combustion engines and hybrid systems) with Geely's into a joint venture holding company with both as co-owners.[61][62] In March 2023,
Aramco signed a letter of intent to join the powertrain joint venture.[63]
In February 2023, Geely announced it would launch a new range of electric vehicles[64] and several new models of Geely Galaxy[65] within the next two years.[66]
In February 2024, Volvo Cars transferred a large part of its share in Polestar to Geely Holding, reducing its ownership from 48% to 18%.[67]
Automotive divisions and products
Based in China, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group operates in several global locations, via subsidiary brands. The Group's core business activities are within the automotive industry where it controls the following automotive groups and vehicle brands:
Geely Holding Group Automotive Divisions[68]
(JV) = Joint Venture
Geely Auto is Geely Group's original and mainstream brand, primarily sold in China and select overseas markets. It has two electric vehicle product line, the
Geely Geometry for entry-level EV and Geely Galaxy for premium EV/PHEV.
Owned 50% by Geely Auto, 30% by Volvo Cars, and 20% by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, Lynk & Co was formed in 2017.[69] It is a Chinese–Swedish car brand based on technology developed jointly by Volvo Cars and Geely Auto.
Polestar, an all-electric premium car brand established in Sweden, was previously part of Volvo Cars before being spun out into an independent entity. Polestar was initially 50.5% owned by Geely Holding and 49.5% by Volvo Cars.[70]
In February 2024, Volvo Cars transferred 62.7% of its stake of Polestar and it is currently 72% owned by Geely Holding and 18% by Volvo Cars.[71][72]
The Maple brand name originated with
Shanghai Maple Automobile, a Geely subsidiary established in 1999 and phased out in 2010.[73] The brand was temporarily revived in 2020 by launching its first EV, the
Maple 30X.
In 2022, Geely launched the joint venture between
Lifan and Maple called Livan (Ruilan, 睿蓝), and the previous Maple products were reconsolidated into Livan brand.
Owned 51% by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group and 49% by Etika Automotive, Lotus Cars is a British producer of sports and racing cars. The first Lotus car was built in 1948 and in June 2017, Lotus Cars became majority owned by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group.[74]
Volvo Cars is owned 78.7% by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (post Volvo Cars IPO).[15] Zhejiang Geely Holding Group acquired Volvo Cars from Ford Motor Company in 2010.[22]
Yuan Cheng Auto (远程汽车) or Farizon Auto was formed in 2016 to focus on the development of commercial vehicles in China and has launched several long-range capable truck and bus solutions. The company raised over $300 million in a Pre-A Round in October 2022 led by
GLP's investment arm Hidden Hill Capital,[75] and $600 million in a Series-A funding round in July 2023, led by Boyu Capital and Yuexiu Industrial Fund.[76] The factory was later acquired by the Chinese electric commercial vehicles company Yuan Cheng Auto, which in conjunction with Myoung Shin. The company plans to manufacture
CKD-made electric trucks for the China market.[77]
Products include:
Farizon C8E/ C10E/ C12E – city buses
Farizon U11E/ U11F – tour buses
Farizon Xinghan G – electric and hydrogen heavy duty trucks
The London Taxi Company, which was acquired by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group in 2013, changed its name to
London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC) in 2017 to reflect its new mission of developing and producing electric commercial vehicles. With a new factory in
Ansty Park, near Coventry, it has begun production of a new generation of
zero-emission-capable new taxi vehicle in late 2017.[83]
Jidu Auto (集度), a joint venture between Geely and
Baidu, intends to release a full portfolio of electric vehicles in different segments starting in 2022.[84] Jidu Auto is owned 55% by Baidu and 45% by Geely.
Ji Yue (极越) brand was established in August 2023, a second company between Geely and Baidu to reconstruct the partnership between the two companies.[85] The Ji Yue brand is 65% owned by Geely and 35% by Baidu which makes Ji Yue brand a subsidiary under Geely Group rather than a joint venture company like Jidu.[86] Due to the Chinese government's policies, Baidu as the controlling company of Jidu, cannot obtain the qualification to manufacture cars. The purpose of establishment of Ji Yue was to make Geely as the controlling company to solve the restriction of car manufacture qualification.[87] The Jidu Auto became a technology solution company to develop AI driving technology and will not be an independent car marque.[88]
With the new Ji Yue brand, the previous Jidu ROBO-01 was renamed as Ji Yue 01. The Ji Yue brand inherited the brand logo created by Jidu Auto.[89]
Owned 49.9% by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group and 50.1% by
DRB-Hicom and is managed by
Geely Auto Group. Proton is the national car brand of Malaysia, established in the 1980s at the behest of the government and later reverted to private ownership under DRB-Hicom.[90]
The brand Proton, the national carmaker’s first-ever SUV
Proton X70 based on first generation
Geely Boyue has made its official launch debut in
Malaysia on 12 December 2018.[91]
In July 2023, after the internal restructuring in Geely Group, the Proton brand was consolidated into the balance sheets of Geely Group.[92]
In 2020, Mercedes-Benz and Geely Holding formally established the
smart brand as a global joint venture, targeting at producing zero-emission electric cars.[93] In 2022, the joint venture launched its first model
Smart #1.
Qianjiang Motorcycle is one of the largest manufacturers of two-wheeled vehicles in China. Since September 2016, the majority shareholding (29.8%) of the company has been controlled by the Geely Group. The vehicles are sold under four brands: QJiang, QJMotor,
Benelli, Keeway Motors and KSR Moto.
Benelli is a subsidiary that produces motorcycles and scooters. Design, development and marketing activities are carried out at the Benelli QJ headquarters in
Pesaro, Italy, with production occurring in
Wenling, China, for sale globally.
Benelli TNT 300
Discontinued brands and models
Geely has sold cars under at least three separate brands and may have continued to use the brand name of a purchased company for a short time. The Emgrand, Englon, and Gleagle names were phased out in 2014[94] alongside efforts to reduce sprawl,[95] and the Shanghai Maple brand name was discontinued in 2010 and revived in 2020.[96]
Emgrand (
Chinese: 帝豪;
pinyin: Dìháo) was launched in 2009 as a medium- to
high-end luxury brand.[97] In 2014, Emgrand ceased to be a stand-alone brand, and Emgrand became a sub-brand of Geely, which itself adopted an updated version of the Emgrand logo.
Englon
Launched in 2010 and replacing the
Shanghai Maple brand,[96] the company claimed Englon (
Chinese: 英伦;
pinyin: yīng lún) emulated classic, British style, and its model line included a
TX4 sold on the Chinese market.[98] Some of its cars were built by Geely subsidiary Shanghai LTI.[99] As Geely fully acquired
The London Taxi Company in 2013, the emblem of Englon also became the new logo of The London Taxi Company.[99]
Gleagle (
Chinese: 全球鹰;
pinyin: Quánqiú Yīng) was an entry-level brand.[100] Some Gleagle cars, such as the
Gleagle Panda, were available for sale on the Internet in China via the
Taobao Mall, a popular
e-commerce site.[101][102] While Geely would deliver the car to the customer's address, buying one of the Panda models on offer did necessitate a trip to a traditional dealer.[103] This sub-brand was discontinued in 2015. Most products continued to be sold directly under the Geely brand.
Li Shufu, the founder and chairman of Geely, acquired a 9.69% stake of Mercedes-Benz Group in February 2018, making it the company's largest single shareholder.[110]
In 2017, Geely acquired an 8.2% stake of Volvo AB, which is also about 15% of votes.[117][118]
In January 2024, Geely announced to reduce its holdings in Volvo Group by 685 million USD. The stake has been lowered from 8.2% to 6.8%. Despite the reduction, Geely remains the second-largest shareholder in Volvo Group.[119]
In 2022, Geely invested over US$200 million to acquire a 34.02% stake in a joint venture in South Korea between Renault and the
Samsung Group. The company plans to produce vehicles based on the Geely's
Compact Modular Architecture platform, initially intended for the Korean domestic market.[120]
CAOCAO (曹操出行)– CAOCAO ride-hailing service was developed by Hangzhou YouXing Technology Company and majority owned by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group. It is the first Chinese new energy focused mobility service.
Terrafugia –
Terrafugia was founded in 2006 targeting at roadable aircraft. The company was acquired in full by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group in 2017.
Zhejiang Qianjiang Motorcycle Group Co –
Qianjiang Motorcycle (钱江摩托) was majority acquired by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group in 2016. The company is one of the largest producers of motorcycles in China and owns several renowned brands including Italy's
Benelli. It is also known for its lithium battery technology.[122]
Geespace plans to create a network of low earth orbit satellites that will send precise positioning information to self-driving cars.[123]
Mitime Group
Mitime Group was established in 2004 and is affiliated to Zhejiang Geely Holding Group. It focuses on investment and operation management of higher education, sports, cultural tourism and other businesses. The group consists of three departments: Mitime Education, Mitime Sports and Mitime Cultural Tourism.[124]
Mitime Education – ZGH has invested in establishing nine universities and colleges across China, including the Geely University of China (吉利学院),
University of Sanya, Xiangtan Institute of Technology (湘潭理工学院), Sanya Institute of Technology (三亚职业理工学院), and Hunan Geely Automobile College (湖南吉利汽车技术职业学院). The wider group has over 40,000 students enrolled within its schools with the goal of developing Chinese automotive industry talents.
Mitime Motorsports – Mitime constructs and operates race tracks for automobiles, motorcycles, and karts around the world. Mitime also organizes motorsport events such as China F4 Championship.
Mitime Tourism – Mitime facilitates tourism and manages hospitality services around its tracks.
The
Cuban government has purchased a considerable number of Geely vehicles, and they are used as police patrol cars[31] or tourist taxis throughout
Havana.[154][155]
The Geely automobile brand was touted to be launched in the
United Kingdom in late 2012.[156][157] However, this plan was not pursued and the official website has been offline since mid-2014.
In July 2020, a first showroom opened in
Doha,
Qatar.[158]
Figures
In 2010, Geely brand surpassed its 400,000-vehicle sales target goal for the first time selling 415,286 cars[159] of its 680,000 units/year production capacity.[125]
Geely Auto Group (including Geely, Lynk & Co brand) reported annual sales of 1,500,838 units in 2018. That year marks the first time that Geely Auto had reached sales of 1.5 million units.[160]
An unsuccessful lawsuit was brought against the company in the early 2000s by
Toyota, which claimed Geely had "implied in ads that some of the parts [used in Geely vehicles] were made by Toyota".[171] Geely may also have previously used a logo that resembled that of Toyota.[172]
Anecdote
Geely is known for imbuing a sense of humor in the names of some of its vehicles. One of the Geely brand sedan is called the "
King Kong" and its early model was named
Uliou(Chinese: 优利欧, You Li Ou),[30] a play on words that literally means "better than the
Tianjin Xiali(Chinese: 夏利, Xia Li) or the
Buick Sail (Chinese: 赛欧, Sai Ou), two of its competitors.[173]
^"2016 nián nián dù bào gào" 2016年年度报告 [2016 Annual Report] (in Chinese (China)). Geely Holding. 28 April 2017. Retrieved 15 April 2018 – via Shanghai Clearing House website.
^"华菱星马三度易主终如愿,但吉利要的不仅是"一辆重卡"" [After its third attempt at changing ownership, Hualing Xingma achieved its wish, but Geely wants more than just "a heavy trucker"]. finance.sina.cn (in Chinese). 24 July 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
^Campbell, Peter (23 September 2020).
"Content". Financial Times. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
^Geely model only. Since Geely's acquisition of Smart in 2022, the sales of
smart Fortwo/Forfour are accounted for under the Mercedes-Benz Group, while
smart #1 and
smart #3 are included in the Geely.
^Consolidated into Geely's balance sheet since 2018
^Fairclough, G. (2006, Nov 07). "Bumper crop: As barriers fall in auto business, china jumps in; Geely aims to be world player, but quality woes linger; cars a new commodity?; 'copycat' accusations fly." The Wall Street Journal.
^JAMES MACKINTOSH AND, R. M. (2003). "Carmakers gamble on China". Financial Times.
^"The Little Car Company That Can?". BloombergBusinessweek. 16 June 2002. Archived from
the original on 18 January 2013. Retrieved 25 July 2012. Please note that the Xiali is based on a Daihatsu Charade, so while this article refers to a "Toyota Charade" they really mean the Chinese-market version of the Daihatsu Charade, which was popular in China