It just recorded a 20.3 per cent sales growth in 2018, exceeding 1.5 million sales under its own name and it now plans to revitalise lacklustre assets like Malaysia’s Proton and the English sports-car maker Lotus while introducing new brand Lynk & Co to more markets.

Volvo sales, counted separately, also blossomed with new global sales record in 2018 of 642,253 cars, up 12.4 per cent on the previous year and breaching the 600,000 sales level for the first time since the company was founded in 1927.

Lynk & Co launch, Berlin 2018

Even Lotus, practically given up for dead – for the umpteenth time – reported sales of 1630 units under Geely’s leadership to mark its best year since 2011.

The Chinese company bought the majority share in Lotus from former owner Proton, then snaffled a 49.9 per cent stake in Proton itself. For 2019, Geely plans to expand Lotus into the US and China.

For Australia, it could mean a resurgence of the brand that tried twice to make a dent here but was caught by emissions, ADR and crash test requirements.

There is clearly more potential than a few years ago. On the back of booming sales in China and European markets, Geely Auto Group, the automotive arm of parent Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, has in 2018 increased its dealership numbers by 200 with almost half transferring from other brands.

It reports that in 2018, the dealers were selling an average of 1450 cars a year, up 10 per cent on 2017.

Last year it also opened five research and development centres, and five design centres in global locations to focus on electric and autonomous vehicles, fuel-cell and hybrid-electric drivetrains, and connectivity technologies.

New models for 2019 include expansion into the multi-purpose vehicle segment plus the launch of mild-hybrid versions of key sedan and SUV models in the Chinese market.

Its Lynk & Co division will introduce EV versions of the 02 and 03 models to join the existing 01 plug-in hybrid now available in Europe and China. There is potential for Lynk & Co to enter Australia when right-hand drive is confirmed.

It has had the conventionally powered 01 on sale in China and Europe since the beginning of 2018 and finished the year with almost 90,000 sales. The 02 and 03 with petrol engines were introduced into the market in late 2018 and scored 22,000 and 10,000 sales respectively.

Lynk & Co 03

Volvo’s performance brand, Polestar, entered the market with its EV-only range in Europe in late 2017 and while it has yet to reach production, it has more than 500 orders for its first car, the Polestar 1. It will announce it second car, the Polestar 2, this year.

Also in EVs, Geely’s LEVC business – an acronym for the London Electric Vehicle Company which was previously the taxi manufacturer known as Manganese Holdings – delivered 1272 eCity taxi vehicles in 2018 from its production centre in England.

One of the keys to Geely’s success – and with it the success of its subsidiaries – is its technology sharing with Volvo.

New models from Geely will be based on the Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) now underpinning the Volvo XC40. Geely’s first CMA-equipped vehicle will be the Geely Coupe SUV FY11, expected later this year in China.

Discussing the synergy with its divisions, Geely Auto Group president and CEO, An Cong Hui, said in a recent statement that it will “fully tap into the potential of our whole ecosystem, strengthen our capability to develop sustainably, and create high-quality, high-tech, and high-value products for our users”.

“In the new year, Geely Auto will continue being focused on the market, pay close attention to user demands, and increase our market share in China and globally,” he said.

By Neil Dowling

Lynk & Co 02