Do you know who owns Volvo? Most people do—it’s the Chinese giant Geely. Do you know who owns Lotus? That’s also Geely. What about the company that makes the iconic London Black Cabs? Geely again.
For many drivers in America and most of the West, Chinese cars are still a bit of a mystery. But if you live in Europe or the UK, there is a very good chance you have already driven a Geely product without realizing it.
Geely Holding Group is not just another car manufacturer; it is effectively the “Volkswagen Group of China.” Just as VW owns Audi, Porsche, and Skoda, Geely controls a sprawling web of brands that range from budget-friendly family sedans to million-dollar electric hypercars.
And they are moving fast. In 2024 alone, the Geely Holding Group tore past the 3 million sales mark, cementing its place as a global superpower. But their strategy isn’t just about selling more cars than everyone else; it’s about sharing technology. By building a single, flexible skeleton for their cars, they can dress it up as a safe Swedish SUV (Volvo), a funky high-tech hatchback (Zeekr), or a luxury British crossover (Lotus).
Geely’s Shared Tech Strategy
To understand how Geely grew so big, so fast, you have to stop thinking of cars as “cars.” Think of them as Lego sets.
Most traditional automakers spend billions designing a new chassis for every few models. Geely took a different approach. They spent four years and over $2.5 billion developing one master piece of technology: the SEA (Sustainable Experience Architecture).
Think of SEA as a high-tech, electric skateboard. It contains the battery, the electric motors, the suspension, and the software brains. It is flexible, and you can stretch it to fit a limousine or shrink it to fit a city car.
Once you have this “skateboard,” you can drop any body you want on top of it. This allows Geely to build distinct cars for different brands using the exact same bones.
The Geely Family Tree
The best way to explain this is to look at three cars that seem completely different on the surface but are actually siblings:
- The Volvo EX30: A minimalist, Scandinavian luxury SUV designed for safety-conscious Europeans.
- The Zeekr X: A futuristic, angular performance hatch designed for tech-savvy Chinese youth.
- The Smart #1: A bubbly, retro-styled crossover designed by Mercedes-Benz (yes, Geely owns 50% of Smart now).
If you stripped away the metal body panels and the leather seats, these three cars are mechanically almost identical. They share the same SEA platform, the same electric motors, and often the same battery packs.
Beyond SEA: The New AI Architecture (GEA)
Geely isn’t standing still. In 2025, they began rolling out the GEA (Global Intelligent New Energy Architecture).
While SEA is for pure electric cars, GEA is a four-in-one platform that uses AI to integrate everything. It can handle pure EVs, Hybrids, and Range Extenders all on one chassis. This is what powers the new Geely Galaxy series (like the Galaxy E5), allowing them to sell the same car as both a pure EV and a long-range hybrid depending on what the customer wants.
This strategy allows Geely to undercut competitors on price. While other companies have to pay to develop a safety system for one car, Geely develops it once and spreads the cost across Volvo, Lotus, Zeekr, and Polestar. When you buy a mass-market Geely, you are often getting premium technology that was paid for by Volvo buyers years ago.
The Geely Heirarchy
Geely is structured like an empire with a strict caste system. The company creates specific brands for specific people, ensuring they rarely step on each other’s toes.
To help you understand better, we break them down into four distinct tiers.
Tier 1: The Global Brands
These are the brands Geely uses to win over Western customers. They are often independently managed to protect their heritage.
- Volvo Cars: Geely bought Volvo in 2010 but wisely left them alone to be “Swedish.” They provide the safety tech and credibility that trickles down to the cheaper brands.
- Lotus: Once a tiny British maker of lightweight sports cars, Geely has transformed it into a luxury EV heavyweight designed to fight Porsche and Ferrari.
- Polestar: Originally Volvo’s racing team, now a standalone design brand. They focus on minimalism, sustainability, and performance, targeting the Tesla and BMW crowd.
Tier 2: The Premium & Tech-First Brands
This is where the most exciting domestic Chinese innovation happens. These brands get the newest chips and batteries before anyone else.
- Zeekr: The crown jewel of Geely’s technology. If you want to see what the future looks like, look here. In a massive 2024 restructuring, Zeekr was given control of Lynk & Co, cementing its status as the group’s technology leader.
- Lynk & Co: Aimed at young urbanites, they focus on subscription models and funky, fashion-forward designs.
Tier 3: The Mass Market Brands
- Geely Auto: They make reliable, affordable gas and hybrid cars that compete with Toyota and Volkswagen.
- Geely Galaxy: Important Distinction: Galaxy started as just a product line, but in 2025, it became a standalone brand. It bridges the gap between mass-market Geely and premium Zeekr, offering high-end tech at mid-range prices.
Tier 4: The Niche Brands
- LEVC (London Electric Vehicle Company): Yes, Geely owns the company that makes the London Black Cabs. But they aren’t just for taxi drivers anymore; they recently launched a luxury MPV that looks like an Airbus on wheels.
- Radar (or Ridarra): An electric pickup truck brand aimed at outdoorsy types. Think of it as China’s answer to Rivian, but much more affordable.
Geely’s Geopolitics Policy
If you drive a modern car in Europe or the UK, there is a very good chance you are driving Geely technology, even if the badge on the hood is German or French. While other Chinese brands like BYD are trying to smash down the front door of Western markets with cheap exports, Geely has taken a smarter, quieter approach.
Firstly, Geely understands that Western consumers (and politicians) are wary of Chinese cars. To solve that, it buys the brands Westerners already love. When you buy a Volvo EX30, you feel like you are buying a safe, Swedish product. In reality, that car is designed on Geely’s SEA platform and, for the first few years of production, was built entirely in China. Volvo acts as a shield, allowing Geely to sell Chinese tech at premium prices without the budget brand stigma.
Geely also took Lotus, a tiny British company constantly on the verge of bankruptcy, and injected billions to turn it into a global luxury player. It preserves the British soul but swaps the mechanical guts for Chinese EV tech.
The Geely-Mercedes Partnership
The new Smart #1 and Smart #3 are not really Mercedes cars anymore? In 2019, Mercedes-Benz realized they couldn’t make small electric cars profitably. Geely stepped in and they formed a 50/50 joint venture. The deal was for Mercedes to do the design while Geely does the engineering and manufacturing. As a result, the new Smart cars are built in China on Geely’s architecture. It is effectively a Geely car wearing a Mercedes body.
Cornering the Gas Market
While everyone focuses on EVs, Geely pulled a masterstroke in the dying world of gas engines. In 2024, Geely and Renault launched a joint venture called HORSE Powertrain. As other carmakers shift focus to electric vehicles, HORSE will build ultra-efficient gas and hybrid engines for them. This company will supply engines not just to Renault and Geely, but potentially to Nissan, Mitsubishi, and others. Geely is positioning itself to be the last man standing making engines for the world.
Dodging the Trade War
Geely is the most agile Chinese player when it comes to tariffs (like the EU’s added duties on Chinese EVs). Because they own global factories via Volvo, they can simply move production. For example, the Volvo EX30 production is shifting to Belgium, while Polestar 3 is being built in South Carolina, USA. This global footprint makes Geely much harder to sanction than a company that only builds in China (like SAIC or Xiaomi).
Geely is arguably the most fascinating car company in the world right now because it is the only one successfully straddling two worlds. It is deeply Chinese, speedy, tech-obsessed, and cost-efficient. Yet it is also surprisingly Western, with heritage brands, a focus on safety, and an understanding of global design tastes.
For the average consumer, this web of ownership doesn’t change much. A Volvo still feels like a Volvo; a Lotus still drives like a Lotus.
But for the industry, the message is clear: The era of isolated car brands is over. Massive conglomerates that can share a single, brilliant piece of technology across a dozen different badges.