Analysis: Geely’s recent upsurge in the Chinese auto market

Geely Automobile’s rapid growth over the past two years has been unmatched by any other domestic own brand manufacturer in the Chinese automotive industry. So far this year the manufacturer has already launched the Boyue, Emgrand GS, Emgrand SUV and Emgrand GL. With the successive launches of such major models, Geely has succeeded in gaining a great deal of attention in the domestic auto industry.

Not only has Geely released a large number of models in a short amount of time, its models have also performed respectably in the market. Geely has not only managed to make headlines with launch ceremonies for its models, Geely vehicles have also delivered sales numbers that have made analysts and others in the industry raise their eyebrows and take heed.

Geely’s three newest SUVs have all performed quite well. Sales of the Boyue (pictured above), which launched in March of this year, broke the 10,000 unit mark in August, reaching a total of 10,130 sales. That success was triumphed in September, when monthly sales of the Boyue reached a high of 14,053 units, a number which many believe was only held back by supply limitations. The Boyue has been so popular that not only are many Geely dealerships reporting a lack of new models for sale, even potential customers who want to take a look at the vehicle are being forced to queue up and wait.

Meanwhile, the Emgrand GS (pictured above), which hit the market in May, managed to accumulate 7,541 orders in August and 8,524 orders the following month. These figures are very impressive for a vehicle which has been on the market for only about half a year. 

The newly released Vision SUV (pictured above), which was launched in the end of August, managed to accumulate some 7,051 pre-orders and orders in its first three days on market. Sales of the Vision SUV in September reached a high of 10,056 units, raising expectations for this new vehicle’s role in Geely’s product lineup. 

The strong performance of Geely’s SUV models have been matched in the sedan segment with its newly released Emgrand GL, which launched in early September. Geely was clear of the importance of this vehicle, scheduling its launch to coincide with the recently concluded G20 conference. The vehicle’s market performance has certainly lived up to high expectations so far.

The GL has been tailored specifically to satisfy the demands of modern Chinese automobile buyers. Its relatively large dimensions of 4.27m x 1.8 m x 1.47 m, along with its 2.7 m wheelbase, give it a leg up on its competition. With a host of standard features like LED daytime running lights, automatic climate control, power windows, multi-function steering wheel, keyless entry, one-button start/stop, electronic rearview mirror and six-speaker stereo system, the GL is a very competitive model indeed. Optional accessories include reverse radar, adaptive cruise control and collision warning, which are also rarely seen on own brand models in its segment.

Geely’s stated sales goal for 2020 is to sell two million vehicles. For comparison’s sake, Geely sold a total of 538,548 vehicles in 2015, which was overall a tough year for the Chinese auto industry. Despite those commendable numbers, which saw Geely rank as the 13th top performing passenger automobile manufacturer in the country, it will still be difficult for them to reach their 2020 targets. Hopefully Geely will capitalize on its successes over the past two years by continuing to release exciting new models over the next five years. Sales of the Emgrand GL and other recently released models are also forecast to continue growing, which will only help Geely as it aims to achieve its lofty sales targets.