China’s Geely eyes US expansion, raising concerns for domestic automakers

Chinese auto giant Zhejiang Geely Holding Group is planning an expansion into the US, a move that could mark a major milestone for Chinese automakers and intensify competition for American carmakers.

Geely is expected to announce its US expansion plans within the next 24 to 36 months, Ash Sutcliffe, Geely’s global communications chief, told Autoline Network during an interview at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Caliber.Az reports via WSJ. 

“The big question for us is when and where will we go to the USA.,” Sutcliffe said.

The company controls a broad portfolio of brands producing electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids, and gas-powered cars. Unlike other Chinese competitors, Geely already has a small presence in the US market through its majority ownership of Sweden’s Volvo, which it acquired from Ford Motor in 2010. Additionally, Waymo, the Alphabet-owned self-driving car company, is testing a robotaxi made by Zeekr, another Geely-controlled Chinese brand, on US streets.

Sutcliffe highlighted Zeekr and Lynk & Co. as potential candidates for the US market.

“We would look at these brands,” he said.

While Geely has not yet identified a production site in the US, Sutcliffe suggested that Volvo’s assembly plant in South Carolina could be a potential location.

“If we wanted to work with them, we would approach Volvo cars and see if we could share their facility,” he said.

However, a Volvo spokesperson said the automaker has no plans to produce Geely vehicles at the South Carolina plant. Sutcliffe declined to comment further on the interview, and Geely’s media relations team in China did not respond to requests for comment.

Geely’s planned US expansion would be the first major entry by a Chinese automaker into the country, which currently imposes steep tariffs on Chinese-made vehicles and will ban Chinese connected-vehicle software in cars starting with the 2027 model year. Chinese carmakers have rapidly gained market share globally, posing a challenge to US automakers struggling with production costs and technological competition.

By Sabina Mammadli