- Geely wants to sell more cars in the U.S., and it may announce could happen within 24 to 36 months.
- Geely is the second-largest car manufacturer in China, owning multiple brands including Volvo and Polestar.
- It’s not clear which products it would bring to the U.S. if it does show up soon.
There’s been a lot of talk about Geely lately. The Chinese automaker put on a big show for Americans at this year’s CES, where its top PR rep also said a U.S. expansion announcement could come in the next 24 to 36 months.
But what exactly should it bring here? Geely has a lot of brands and products, ranging from bargain-basement combustion cars to Lotus and its pedigree of lightweight race-ready vehicles. Heck, it even sells luxury vans and black cabs, plus weird-looking vehicles with battery-swapping capability.
Geely sells some cars here already too, as it controls Volvo and Polestar. But it has yet to bring any of its homegrown Chinese brands to the States. Ash Sutcliffe, the company’s global director of communications, told Autoline Network that the Zeekr and Lynk & Co brands would be a good fit for the U.S. market.
What Geely has going for it is that China’s car market is incredibly similar to America’s when it comes to consumer taste. Compare that to a European or Asian manufacturer that may be biased to minicars that wouldn’t have much appeal or feasibility outside of their home market.
On the other hand, there’s no way the U.S. can support every single model that Geely sells across its many brands.
Luckily, I’ve driven tons of Geely products and know its offerings well. Here’s a small selection I think the car company would do well with here to the U.S.
Nearly Every Zeekr and Lynk & Co Model
Photo by: Patrick George
If you’ve been reading anything at InsideEVs, then you’ll know that this is not a surprising take for me. For those not in the know, Zeekr and Lynk & Co sell both PHEV and EV models practically everywhere else in the world except the U.S. and Canada. Both are solidly premium entrants; Zeekr aims to rival Audi and BMW, while Lynk & Co is a step behind, doing battle against Buick and Acura.
I’ve driven nearly all of Lynk & Co and Zeekr’s lineup. Both brands are chock-full of well-resolved cars and crossovers that would give existing EV and PHEV models from Western brands a run for their money. My favorites are the BMW i4-sized Zeekr 007 (and its swanky 7 GT station wagon sibling), and the sophisticated Zeekr 7x crossover. The bus-shaped Zeekr Mix is also pretty cool, but I think that might be a little too out-there for American car buyers.
All of Smart
Photo by: Brabus
I’ll bet you forgot about Smart, huh? This brand, once known for making the city-oriented Fortwo minicar, withdrew from the United States in 2019, not long after it became an EV-only brand. The Fortwo was never a strong seller, but the switch to electric (and acquisition by Geely) did it in.
Smart itself has now repositioned itself as a luxury brand that directly rivals Mini. The cars themselves are incongruent with the brand’s old ethos of making tiny city cars that could nose-in park in a curbside space. But I think modern Smart cars are significantly nicer than the old Fortwo ever was.
Smart’s lineup includes the #1 and #3, both of which are sister models to the Volvo EX30, albeit with a nicer interior and, in the #3, more room. There is also the #5, a Mercedes-Benz GLB-sized crossover available with either full electric or hybrid power. Oh, and the iconic city car is set to return soon, this time called the #2.
Photo by: smart
True, smaller cars don’t have a huge market in the U.S., but I think it’s time we changed that. As Sutcliffe, told Autoline, the U.S. market is in dire need of “something different.” Stylistically, the cars are fun to look at, melding what feels like an expensive tennis shoe with tidy small(ish) car proportions. This is way different from the acres of medium to large beige crossovers found on most American dealer lots.
Geely Galaxy E5 (EX5)
Photo by: Divulgação
On the flipside of Smart’s playful ethos sits the Galaxy E5, or the Geely EX5 as it’s called outside of China. Slightly smaller than a Toyota RAV4, this crossover is pleasant and inoffensive to look at, but it won’t win any awards for unique styling. It looks sort of like a generic crossover that one would use for a car insurance commercial.
Still, I recognize that there’s many car buyers just want a basic piece of transportation, and the EX5 delivers. While at CES, I got a bit of seat time with the EX5, and found a crossover that felt remarkably expensive for a car that starts the equivalent of under $40,000 in China. The interior is spacious, the ride is smooth, and the infotainment screen is easy to use and incredibly quick—probably the quickest I’ve used in any EV that isn’t a Tesla or Rivian. Power for the EX5 comes from a 214-horsepower motor turning the front wheels, fed by a 60 kilowatt-hour battery.
Photo by: Divulgação
Its PHEV sister, the EX5 EM-i, could also be a strong candidate for U.S. consumption. This adds a 1.5-liter gas engine and shrinks its battery from 60 kWh to 18.4 kWh.
Geely Xingyuan (EX2)
Photo by: Geely
The advent of Chinese cars naturally begs the question: Are they going to be more affordable? Sure, they can be. However, most of this list is full of EV and PHEV models that are luxury-oriented. This may be a bargain for luxury car buyers, but what about the common man?
Well, here’s the Geely Xingyuan, or EX2 in markets outside of China. This is China’s best-selling plug-in car, recently surpassing the BYD Seagull.
Although I don’t have on-the-road time with the Xinguyan as I do with the Seagull, I did get some seat time with a static example in a Chinese Geely dealership. It’s not hard to see exactly why the Xingyuan has edged out the Seagull; it’s bigger, with a bit more power for not much more money.
Photo by: Geely
At 162 inches long, the Xinguyan is about the same size as the old Chevrolet Sonic, compared to the Chevrolet Spark-sized BYD Seagull. That extra length (and wider body) makes the Xingyuan a five-seater compared to the four-seater Seagull. It also has more power, up to 114 horsepower turning the rear wheels, compared to the 75 horsepower of the China-market Seagull. All of that, fed by a battery that is up to 40 kWh in size.
Now, the Xingyuan’s roughly $9,000 China price likely won’t translate outside of China, but markets outside of China (like Australia) that will soon get the car, report pricing just under $20,000. If Geely can get us a car for that price, I predict they’d sell quite a few.
Now, all of this is still predicated on whether Geely really is serious about entering the U.S. and increasing its presence here outside of Polestar and Volvo. If it does truly show up in the near future, then we’ve got a nice selection of cars to choose from.
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