Geely has begun building cars in the Americas for the first time, at a plant in southern Brazil majority-owned by Renault, as the two companies committed a further 2 billion reais ($389 million) to their joint venture.
Renault Geely do Brasil said on Tuesday it had started production of the Geely EX5 EM-i plug-in hybrid at the Ayrton Senna Industrial Complex in São José dos Pinhais, Paraná, describing it as the first Geely product manufactured in the Americas.
The company announced the additional investment the same day. It brings the programme to 5.8 billion reais ($1.13 billion) across 2025 to 2027, after the 3.8 billion ($739 million) committed when the partnership was sealed in November.
The new money funds the first Renault-badged vehicle built on Geely’s Global Intelligent Electric Architecture, due in 2027, and Renault’s Hybrid E-Tech four-wheel-drive flex-fuel powertrain, arriving the same year.
What Is Being Built
The EX5 EM-i is a plug-in hybrid sport utility vehicle measuring 4.74 metres long on a 2.75-metre wheelbase, which places it against the Jeep Compass, Toyota Corolla Cross, BYD Song Plus and GWM Haval H6.
Geely Brazil quotes combined output of 262 horsepower and 380 newton metres, acceleration to 100 kilometres an hour in 7.8 seconds, up to 112 kilometres of electric range in the Ultra version and total range of about 1,300 kilometres. It has been on sale as an import from 199,990 reais ($38,900).
The locally built car goes on sale before the end of the year.
The Geely EX2, a battery-electric hatchback known as the Xingyuan in China and sold in Brazil as an import, follows in December.
Geely says the EX2 was China’s best-selling vehicle across all segments in 2025, at 465,775 units.
The Plant
The Ayrton Senna Complex opened in 1998 and has built more than 4.3 million vehicles across passenger car and light commercial units. Renault puts its headcount at 5,120 as of the end of last year, on a 250-hectare site.
The complex was adapted during 2026 to take the GEA architecture, and can now build combustion, hybrid and fully electric vehicles on the same site.
Renault models including the Kwid, Kardian, Duster, Oroch, Master and Boreal continue to be built there.
Victor Yang, Senior VP of Geely Holding Group, described the speed of the project as a miracle achieved in less than eleven months, and said Geely had sold 640,000 vehicles outside China so far in 2026, up 158% year over year.
Ariel Montenegro, President and Chief Executive Officer of Renault Geely do Brasil, said that more than launching new products, the company was preparing its operations for the future by combining the strengths of the Renault and Geely brands.
How the Deal Works
Renault Group and Geely executed definitive agreements on November 3 last year, under which Geely acquired 26.4% of Renault do Brasil. Renault remains the majority shareholder and continues to consolidate the business in its accounts.
The split is 73.57% Renault SAS, 21.29% Geely Auto, 5.11% Geely Holding and 0.03% the State of Paraná.
Geely gained access to Renault’s industrial base and dealer network. Renault gained access to the GEA architecture, which it is now using for its own 2027 model.
It is the third venture between the two groups, after Renault Korea and the Horse Powertrain joint venture.
Three Powertrain Answers
The partnership is hedging across three technologies at once.
Geely is supplying plug-in hybrid and battery-electric cars. Renault is putting new money into flex-fuel hybrid, which runs on ethanol and is a specifically Brazilian solution. BYD, the competitor both are responding to, sells battery-electric and plug-in hybrid from its own plant at Camaçari.
Brazil accounted for more than 40% of Latin American vehicle registrations in the first half of 2025, on Renault’s own figures.
