19972007
In 1996, Geely Group Co., Ltd. was formally established as a private company. The very first car made by Geely was completed in 1996, which is called the "Geely Number 01". It is a clone of a Mercedes-Benz E-Class (W210) with a chassis taken from a Hongqi CA7200, which in turn is based on the Audi 100. The prototype was conceived from Li Shufu's frustration over China's lack of a luxury carmaker. He wanted to prove that a Chinese company has the ability to produce luxury cars, according to his interview with CCTV in 2009. The car remained a single prototype and was never produced.[18] By 1997, the company had completed the construction of relevant factories and initial investment preparations to enter the automobile industry. This made Geely the first private automobile company in China, whereas other carmakers are state-owned enterprises such as Chery. Geely's first car, the Geely Haoqing, rolled off the assembly line in Linhai, Zhejiang on 8 August 1998. The Haoqing is similar to the small Japanese car Daihatsu Charade and is powered by a Daihatsu three-cylinder engine. However, Geely did not obtain its national production license until 9 November 2001, which delayed mass production until 2002.[19] By 2002, the brand was ranked among the top ten in the Chinese automobile market.
Geely was known for imbuing a sense of humor in the names of some of its vehicles. One of the early Geely brand sedan is called the "King Kong" and its early model was named Uliou (Chinese: 优利欧, You Li Ou),[14] 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.[21]
In 2002, Geely shifted from being a family-operated entity to a joint-stock company managed by professional management. Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., Ltd. (ZGH) was established on 24 March 2003.[22] In April 2003, Zhejiang Geely Holding entered a joint venture agreement with Guorun Holdings Co., Ltd., a company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, to expand Geely's automotive business. Geely and Guorun later created several other joint ventures.[23] In January 2004, Li Shufu bought controlling shares in Guorun,[23] and in March 2004, the company was renamed Geely Automobile Holdings Limited. This strategy was seen as a "backdoor" entry into the Hong Kong stock market, providing a means for the company to raise funds.[24][25][26]
In August 2002, Geely Auto acquired Shanghai Jiashida Automobile Group Co., Ltd. to form the Shanghai Maple vehicle manufacturing base. In August 2003, the first car from Shanghai Maple called Maple Biaofeng rolled off the assembly line. In January 2003, Geely launched its first sports car, the Geely BL, which went on sale in November 2003.[20]
In the second half of 2003, the Chinese government initiated macro-control measures on the automobile industry and ended its micromanagement policies, which caused a sharp decline in the automotive market following years of growth. Geely took advantage of the situation by starting its independent research and development effort, investing hundreds of millions of yuan in technological upgrades of its factory. As a result of these changes, the quality of Geely cars improved, and sales increased, particularly in the economy car segment from 2003 to 2004.[27] In August 2003, the first batch of Geely cars were exported overseas.[19] Geely began to expand its presence in international markets by participating in the Frankfurt Auto Show in 2005 and the Detroit Auto Show in 2006.[28][15]
In a 2012 report, Reuters detailed how Geely, through its subcontracted local engineering partner CH-Auto, reverse engineered a Toyota Aygo city car in 2005 to develop the similar Geely LC.[29]
20072014
From 2007 to 2008, Geely Auto shifted its strategy to focus on technology, quality, and service rather than competing on price. This new direction was outlined in their "Ningbo Declaration". This approach helped Geely navigate the 2008 financial crisis.[30]
In January 2007, Geely Auto launched its Ukrainian semi-knock down (SKD) exports, by shipping the first batch of 300 sets of knock-down parts that would be assembled in Ukraine.[19] By 2012, Geely became the second largest car exporter from China after Chery by exporting 100,300 vehicles. CKD facilities was also established with local partners in Russia, Indonesia and Egypt.[31][32]
Geely Auto started developing its own turbocharged petrol engines, which it introduced in 2008. The engines helped Geely vehicles to compete in terms of power performance and fuel economy. In 2008, Geely Auto founded a new brand named Gleagle
2014present
Between 2013 and 2014, Geely Auto faced declining sales and outdated technology. The company undertook major restructuring in 2014 by merging its Emgrand, Haoqing, and Englon brands into a unified Geely brand, streamlining its product lineup.[37][38] This restructuring paved the way for successful launches that the company describes as the "Era of Premium Cars 3.0", which include the Geely Borui in 2015, Geely Boyue in 2016, the Emgrand GS and Emgrand GL.[27]
In October 2016, Geely Auto released its new brand called Lynk & Co in Berlin, Germany. The brand was launched with three production models, all based on the Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) developed by Zeekr Technology Europe, formerly China Euro Vehicle Technology (CEVT). Lynk & Co as a brand is positioned between Geely and Volvo.[39]
