Written by | Wu Jing
Edited by | Huang Dalu
Designed by | Zhen Youmei
"In the current international market, the essence of 'going global' has fundamentally changed. Previously, it was called 'export', selling a car to different countries and different overseas markets. Now, with changes in the geopolitical landscape and economic and trade situation, this way is slowly becoming unfeasible."
On May 15, 2026, at the 18th Xuan Yuan Auto Blue Book Forum, Chen Jiadang, Deputy General Manager of Geely International, pointed out the turning point facing Chinese car exports.
In the past 17 years, China's automobile production and sales have maintained the top spot globally. In 2025, China's automobile exports exceeded 7 million units, ranking first globally for 3 consecutive years. Chen Jiadang pointed out that China's automobile going global has entered a new development stage. The traditional 'one-size-fits-all' product export model is unsustainable. The core of globalization has shifted to regionalization, fragmentation, and localization.
He summarized car company going global into four major stages:
The first is the trade export stage. Selling complete vehicles overseas to achieve growth from 0 to 1. However, this stage lacks sufficient brand accumulation. Channel and service networks in the region are incomplete, and the risk resistance capability is weak.
The second stage is brand going global. Car companies build marketing companies overseas, spreading and building their own brands in overseas markets through a combination of general agency and direct distribution.
The third stage is capacity and industry going global. Layoutting KD factories overseas, breaking through trade barriers in supply chains. Relying on regional R&D centers to develop exclusive overseas version models and synchronizing the localization of full value chain services.
The fourth stage is ecosystem going global. Promoting the going global of ecosystem services such as finance, insurance, and used cars. Simultaneously participating in the formulation of industry standards in core areas of local safety, intelligence, and energy, creating local national brands.
Based on the new era landscape, Geely has set a goal of 6.5 million group sales by 2030, with overseas sales accounting for 1/3, new energy accounting for 75%, and entering the top five global automakers. In 2026, it strives to achieve 750,000 overseas sales.
Finally, Chen Jiadang also summarized the five major shifts in Geely's internationalization and globalization: the shift in market layout, the shift in product structure, the shift in business model, the shift in business philosophy, and the shift in strategic goals.
The essence of globalization is regionalization. The goal of regionalization is to make localized operations deep and thorough, taking root downwards. Chen Jiadang stated that on this strategic cognition, Geely is experiencing a transition from past technology output to value co-creation.
"In the past, we quickly made up for shortcomings in competitiveness through core technology investment and R&D. Currently, we need to enter a higher-order stage of value co-creation, sharing our core technology, outputting mature management systems and corporate values with global partners," he said.
The following is the transcript of Chen Jiadang's speech, organized by "Automotive Business Review," with minor deletions here:
Hello everyone! I am Chen Jiadang from Geely International.
Today's forum theme is 'shift', which I feel is very meaningful and aptly reflects the current stage of Chinese car brands 'going global'. I will mainly combine Geely International's practice and thinking in going global in recent years, as 2026 is also the first year of the entire Geely Internationalization future five-year strategic plan.
The essence of 'going global' has fundamentally changed
In the past 17 years, China's automobile production and sales have maintained the top spot globally without doubt. China is the world's largest automobile market. In 2025, China's automobile exports exceeded 7 million units, also ranking first globally for 3 consecutive years.
Relying on a complete industrial system and strong technological innovation capabilities, Chinese automobiles have not only achieved leapfrog development themselves but also promoted the global automotive industry towards a new era in the fields of new energy, including intelligent driving and intelligent cockpits.
On the eve of the just-concluded 2026 Beijing Auto Show, we convened overseas dealers to attend the Geely Dealers Conference and visited the Beijing Auto Show. Based on the feedback from all foreign dealer partners, the eyes of the whole world are focusing on the Chinese market as never before.
Geely Automobile is one of the most technology-innovative and intelligently leading car brands in China. We just invited dealer partners from more than 100 countries and more than 1,000 partners to Hangzhou at the end of April, holding a dealer partners conference with the theme 'Jointly Embarking on the Era of Smart Vehicles'.
Overseas dealers came to China. We showed them our full range of products, technology, and R&D strength. This exhibition was very important for Geely. Our overseas partners also saw the strength of Chinese automobiles in the field of smart technology.
High attention from the global market makes us clearly see that the international influence of Chinese automobiles is rapidly rising. In the past, Chinese brands only participated in the competition of the global market. Now it has gradually shifted to leading the transformation of the automotive industry.
Chinese automobile going global has entered a new stage. In the current international market, the essence of 'going global' has fundamentally changed. Previously, it was called 'export', selling a product to different countries and different overseas markets. Now, with changes in the geopolitical landscape and economic and trade situation, this way is slowly becoming unfeasible.
New globalization, we define it as regionalization, trending towards fragmentation and localization.
Every region, when we go to every country, the differences in policies, regulations, user needs, and industrial support changes are very obvious. In the current environment, no brand can achieve the goal of globalization with the past 'one-size-fits-all' way. So, the essence of 'globalization' has changed.
The competitive logic of the global automotive industry is迎来 a shift. This means Chinese car companies' going global is no longer simple trade expansion. It is a journey from simply going out, to going in with quality, to going up; from past product output to future technology and system output; from past 'following' to future 'leading'. I think this is a challenge for Chinese automobiles.
But this also creates an opportunity for us, an opportunity for Chinese automobile brands to stand in the mid-to-high-end positions of the global value chain.
Four stages of Chinese car companies going global
Facing such a major industry trend, we combined past car company going global and summarized it into several stages:
The first stage, we define it as trade export. In the past, we sold complete vehicles overseas, found general agents overseas, set targets, confirmed FOB price, basically selling cars to achieve growth from 0 to 1. This method actually lacked brand accumulation. Channel and service networks in the region were incomplete, and risk resistance capability was weak.
The second stage we define as brand going global. Car companies build overseas marketing companies overseas. Through a combination of general agency and direct distribution, spreading and building their own brands in overseas markets.
The third stage is actually the current stage, capacity and industry going global. Layoutting KD factories overseas, doing manufacturing overseas, layoutting supply chains to break through trade barriers. Relying on regional R&D centers, developing overseas exclusive versions, developing overseas exclusive models, defining user needs for each country according to local conditions, and developing competitive products, synchronizing the localization of full value chain services.
The fourth stage we define as ecosystem going global. This is also the stage Chinese brands are currently and will experience in the future. Promoting the going global of the entire finance, insurance, used cars, and other ecosystem services. You can also participate in the formulation of industry standards in core fields such as local safety, intelligence, and energy. We output technology, output standards, output solutions to help local countries build so-called national brands. This might be the future stage of ecosystem going global.
The above four stages are summarized through practice exploration by top global car companies, and are also a compass for Chinese car companies' going global path.
Conforming to the general trend, Geely Automobile also layoutted future five-year internationalization goals starting from 2026. The entire Big Geely proposed the strategic goal 'One Geely, Comprehensive Leadership'. By 2030, it aims to achieve 6.5 million units for the entire automobile group.
In this goal, overseas sales are to account for 1/3, and the brand should occupy the top five strategic position globally. According to such strategic planning, we also sorted out global and internationalization goals. This year we strive to achieve 750,000 units. Next year we sprint for higher targets.
Five major shifts in Geely going global
Against this background, based on Geely going global practice, I will share the following with everyone. I summarize it into Geely's internationalization, globalization going global five major shifts:
First, the shift in market layout. 80 million capacity global market, for example, USA, Canada, India, Japan & Korea might be temporarily unreachable. Other regions I think might be the main battlefield for Chinese brands overseas. Market layout shifted from past 'going out' to 'going in'. We need to deepen core regions, operate with quality. Under the new globalization background, only focusing is possible to achieve high-quality growth.
We established 'Two Alliances, Two Regions', i.e., European Union, ASEAN, North America, South America are our main battlefield. Europe is the world's most mature automobile market and also a highland for car brands. The entire market capacity is about 15 million unit volume.
We started entering Europe layoutting a few subsidiaries last year. France, Germany, UK, Spain, Netherlands, Hungary. These subsidiaries all realized opening and operation listing in the first quarter of this year. First quarter sales also performed well. The entire growth rate was as high as 400%, also becoming one of the fastest-growing brands among Chinese brands in the European market.
In ASEAN, we cooperated with Proton, deepening the market of Malaysia. Simultaneously, Indonesia KD factory landing. Simultaneously, we continue to deeply cultivate key markets such as Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, comprehensively consolidate the ASEAN market.
North America and South America. North America is Mexico. The current market sales are also not bad. Because we layoutted a subsidiary in Mexico, and also set a relatively challenging goal. In South America, we did strategic cooperation with Renault, established a joint venture subsidiary with Renault, promoting localized production. Simultaneously relying on Renault channels, we also challenge the goal of monthly sales breakthrough 10,000 units.
From 'going out' to 'going in' then to 'going up', we realized steady overseas business growth. This year past 4 months, the entire Geely achieved 286,000 units target internationally, year-on-year growth exceeded 150%. This is the first shift, regarding the shift in market layout.
Second, the shift in product structure. In the past, Chinese automobile brands going out, most sold were fuel vehicles. We need to move from fuel-dominated to fuel and electricity together. In the fuel vehicle field, we need energy efficiency and also intelligence.
This year January-April, we new energy field export contributed 174,000 units target. The entire growth is very rapid, performance is also quite bright. But more importantly, we need to adhere to brand premiumization. Because we have the entire international, have Geely, fuel vehicles, electric vehicles, Lynk & Co, Zeekr. Zeekr brand positioning is brand upward breakthrough. With technology strength to reshape the global value of Chinese brands.
Third, the shift in business model. From past 'product output' to 'full value chain localized output'. Facing global trade barriers and regional market demands, past simple complete vehicle export has become unsustainable. Geely firmly promotes the entire business model shift. From past product output to R&D, production, sales system output. Realizing full value chain localization.
R&D end, we have R&D resources in Germany, Sweden. Integrate them into Geely's European Technology Center. Truly research and develop in the region, develop products needed in the region.
Production end, we layoutted many manufacturing bases overseas. In Malaysia, mainly taking Proton as the core, established Automotive High-tech Silicon Valley. We internally call it AHEV. Building a regional hub with 500,000 capacity.
Additionally, in sales end, we layoutted subsidiaries in many places. Building brand marketing, channel development, and after-sales service localized operating capabilities. So, globalization is not simply copying the Chinese model overseas. But landing in overseas, suitable local models. Only this way can it take root downwards in regional markets.
Fourth, the shift in business philosophy. From 'single globalization mindset' to 'depth of localized operations'. The going global of automobiles is actually also very key.
The essence of globalization is regionalization. Actually, the goal of regionalization is how to do localized operations deep and thorough, take root downwards. So, we need to co-build value ecosystem with the local. On strategic cognition, we are experiencing a transition from past technology output to value co-creation stage. In the past, we made up for competitiveness shortcomings quickly through core technology investment and R&D. Currently, we need to enter a higher-order value co-creation stage. Sharing our core technology, outputting mature management systems and corporate values with global partners.
In brand operation, we define it as the 'T' Plan for going global. 'T' is equivalent to a unified global tag for a brand. 'T' vertical can be compared to doing brand marketing in every market. Local operation takes root downwards, promoting localized brand construction, localized marketing, localized user operation. Simultaneously need to build good partner relationships with localized dealers. We pursue beauty shared by all, realizing landing and deep cultivation in the region, taking root and growing.
Actually, the root of localized operation is talent. Including regional regulations, local culture, local user preferences, product definition differentiation, even compliance, risk control, etc. Only by using local talent well can we effectively break cultural barriers, bridge the communication between brand and users.
Talent culture integration, recruiting local talent, training local talent is the true criterion for taking root overseas markets and operations.
Fifth, the shift in strategic goals. From past calling 'scale priority', going out to see how many markets, sell how many cars, to 'high-quality globalization'. Doing such strategic goal changes.
Internationalization business is the top priority for Geely's future development. So overseas business must adhere to high-quality development. We rely on brand construction, technology accumulation, product quality, and after-sales service system construction to build sustainable long-term competitiveness.
But on the development road, do not blindly pursue expansion speed. Strictly abide by the bottom line of compliance. Walk a steady and sustainable development road. Always adhere to user-centered, with globally unified strict standards for global users to provide consistent high-quality travel experience. This is about the entire strategic goal shift.
Ladies and gentlemen, we stand at the critical juncture of the era of global industry landscape reshaping. We should not only be grateful for the development advantages endowed by the era but also actively grasp the major opportunities within it. Let us use long-termism as the spear, technology innovation as the square, walk a path from following to leading, from products to brand upgrading. Geely Automobile is willing to walk towards newness together with all Chinese car companies, letting the world see the power of Chinese automobiles!
Let's let the world be full of Geely together. Thank you all!
Thank the following partners for strong support. Let us face 'shift' together and win the future together.
