Chinese automaker Geely is considering producing its electric vehicles in the United Kingdom, as first reported on Wednesday by the local media outlet AutoExpress.
The move comes as the company aims to sell at least 100,000 annually by 2030 in the UK.
Additionally, the Chinese brand is preparing to launch seven new models — such as the EX2, whose debut is scheduled for this Summer — in the next two years in the country.
Geely UK’s Head of Sales Harry Bathe told AutoExpress that bringing its manufacturing to the UK is possible if “it makes sense” for the company.
“If the brand grows to a point where it makes financial sense, then we’ll do it, absolutely,” the executive highlighted.
The group aims to decrease its costs, due to the European Union’s tariffs on Chinese-made EVs, with Geely UK’s Managing Director Mike Yang adding that the decision would be driven by customer needs and efficiency.
“From a manufacturing perspective, it is an option to produce cars here [in the UK] or there, but the target is the customer’s experience and satisfaction. It is a question that will determine efficiency and cost, and if [there is] an advantage,” he told AutoExpress.
Geely is among the several Chinese automakers are considering production their EVs in the Old Continent.
To avoid the European Union’s tariffs on EVs made in China, several other Chinese automakers have decided to start producing their units in the Old Continent.
BYD will soon begin manufacturing the BEV versions of its Dolphin Surf and Atto 2 models at its plant in Hungary.
The Chinese giant is also preparing to start production in its $1 billion EV factory in Turkey, considering Spain and Portugal for its third European facility.
XPeng has been assembling two of its models at its Graz plant in Austria, in cooperation with Magna Steyr, since last September.
Last August, Leapmotor and Stellantis agreed to build the B10 compact SUV at the group’s Spanish facility, with production set to begin by year-end.
At the end of last month, Chery — which operates the Jaecoo and Omoda brands in the UK — announced that it would establish its European R&D headquarters in Liverpool.
The announcement came half a year after the Director of the company’s UK division Victor Zhang said that the automaker was “actively considering” building a plant in the country.
Chinese giant Chery is reportedly discussing with Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) the possibility of producing its vehicles at a British factory.
Geely’s Partnerships
Earlier this month, Reuters reported, citing sources close to the matter, that Ford Motor Co. and Geely Holding were in discussions about a potential partnership to share technology and production costs.
The talks focused on the Chinese brand’s potential usage of the US automaker’s plants in Europe to produce vehicles for the region.
One person familiar with the situation told the outlet that the Valencia plant, in Spain, would be the most likely option.
While both companies had been discussing shared vehicle technologies, such as automated driving, the conversations regarding European production in Europe were more advanced, according to some sources.
Geely declined to comment on the discussions, but Ford responded: “We have discussions with lots of companies all the time on a variety of topics. Sometimes they materialize, sometimes they don’t.”
The Detroit-based company’s Cologne plant, in Germany, underwent a $2 billion transformation to produce the fully electric Capri crossover SUV and Explorer three-row SUV, but remains underutilized despite 250,000-unit annual capacity, AutoExpress reported.
The upcoming Fiesta subcompact’s replacement will be built at Renault‘s ElectriCity complex in France rather than consuming Ford‘s existing production capacity.
Meanwhile, Geely partnered last month with the Renault Group, as part of Geely Holding‘s new five-year strategic plan.
The goal was to “create a new paradigm of open, collaborative, and mutually beneficial brand cooperation,” according to the Chinese company.
Under the agreement, the companies jointly produce and sell vehicles on Geely platforms, using the French automaker’s production facilities and retail networks in South Korea and Brazil.
UK Sales in January
Geely entered the UK market last October 2025, with the launch of its EX5 battery electric SUV.
The model, which offers three variants — SE, PRO and MAX —, currently starts at £31,990 ($43,300) in the country.
In the last two months of 2025, the brand sold a total of 478 vehicles.
Last month, the Chinese automaker registered 86 units, achieving a 0.06% market share.
Compared to December 2025, when 125 vehicles were listed, January’s sales fell by 31.2%.
Global Sales in January
Geely Holding —which includes automakers, such as Geely, Volvo, Polestar, Lotus Cars, Zeekr, and brands like Lynk&Co and Farizon — sold 270,167 vehicles in January worldwide.
The figures increased by 1.29% compared to a year ago, while they jumped 14.08% sequentially.
The company exported a record-breaking 60,506 units last month — up 121.2% year-on-year and 50.1% month-on-month.
The Geely Galaxy was the group’s best-selling brand in January, with 82,990 deliveries, marking year over year and sequential declines of 11.3% and 17.6%, respectively.
This year, Geely Holding aims to sell 3.45 million vehicles globally, including 640,000 units in international markets — 18.5% of the total volume.
