Geely's Trillion Ambition

Author | Zhou Zhiyu

Editor | Zhang Xiaoling

Forty years ago, Li Shufu, who was still tinkering with refrigerator parts in Taizhou, perhaps never imagined that forty years later, the empire he personally created would stand at the threshold of one trillion in revenue.

On January 22, An Conghui, CEO of Geely Holding Group, announced the "One Geely, Fully Leading" 2030 strategy. By strengthening top-level coordination and global collaboration, a global "one chessboard" strategic pattern will be achieved. Specifically, by 2030, global sales are expected to reach 6.5 million units, with revenue exceeding one trillion yuan, placing Geely among the top five globally.

Through this ambitious blueprint, we see Li Shufu completing a thrilling "retraction," consolidating previously scattered sub-brands into a powerful punch capable of striking deep into the global market. In the next five years, Geely aims to become a significant "decision-maker" in the global automotive market.

According to recently disclosed data, Geely Holding's global sales reached 4.116 million units in 2025. This is a highly symbolic turning point. Four million units are typically seen as the ticket to enter the "global giant club." At this point, Geely ranks seventh globally and is the fastest-growing company among the top ten automotive groups.

In addition, Geely's penetration rate of new energy vehicles has risen to 56%. This means that during the past five years of the "Smart Geely 2025" cycle, Geely has transitioned from the traditional fuel camp to an era dominated by new energy.

However, behind these achievements lies a deep sense of crisis. An Conghui candidly pointed out that Geely's global governance system needs further improvement, brand international influence needs to be enhanced, and the pace of international development needs to be accelerated. Breakthroughs in core technologies, optimization of product experiences, improvement of R&D collaboration efficiency, and enhancement of user service capabilities are all key areas where Geely must continue to focus on improvement.

This is the background reason for the release of the "2030 strategy": after reaching a scale of 4 million units, the previous "dispersed combat" model has hit the ceiling of efficiency. In the face of global price wars and technological iterations, Geely needs a transformation from "product manufacturing competitiveness" to "ecological service competitiveness."

The core of the 2030 strategy can be summarized as the "One Three Three" strategic navigation chart: one overarching principle (Taizhou Declaration), three major transformations (organizational culture, competitiveness, control model), and three major sectors (complete vehicles, components, ecology).

For a long time, Geely had numerous brands, and there was overlap in the market. From Lynk & Co, ZEEKR to Volvo, Polestar, and then to Lotus and smart, Geely's landscape was filled with overlapping flags. This internal competition helped quickly capture niche markets in the early stages, but in the era of smart electric vehicles, redundant R&D and supply chain inefficiencies have become the biggest enemies.

In this strategic adjustment, Geely has clarified the strategic pattern of "global one chessboard." The core action is to develop a global top-level new energy architecture covering A to E class vehicles, thereby achieving a reduction of over 30% in average single model R&D cycle and comprehensive costs.

An industry analyst pointed out that this is Geely imitating Toyota's TNGA or Volkswagen's MEB, but at a higher dimension. Through the unification of underlying architecture, Geely aims to completely eliminate the redundant costs brought by multiple brands with a new scale effect. The merger of Geely Auto and ZEEKR Intelligent Technology completed last year is a precursor to this logic In terms of technology pathways, Geely has outlined a comprehensive technology system called "Seven Verticals."

This encompasses intelligent driving, smart cockpits, electronic architecture, vehicle architecture, batteries, electric drives, and super electric hybrids. In each area, Geely attempts to reshape through AI.

The goal is to create the "Qianli Haohan" technology platform, aiming for full coverage of L2 level and rapidly advancing L3 industrialization pilots. Among them, the H9 solution boasts an ultra-high computing power of 1400 TOPS, placing it in an absolute leading tier within the current industry. The target of achieving one trillion in revenue, if solely reliant on car sales, is akin to seeking fish up a tree in today's environment of increasingly thin profit margins.

With AGI (General Artificial Intelligence) and Agent technology at its core, Geely is building the AIOS operating system. Geely's ambition is to transform cars from mere transportation tools into "super intelligent life forms."

The thermal efficiency of the Thor AI electric hybrid engine is expected to exceed 50%, bringing fuel consumption per 100 kilometers into the "3L era." Meanwhile, the "Shield Gold Brick Battery" is attempting to define a new safety benchmark for power batteries, gradually achieving the industrialization of semi-solid and solid-state batteries.

Additionally, Geely has constructed a "Heaven and Earth Integrated" future mobility ecosystem. This includes collaboration among Geely Auto, Qianli Technology, Cao Cao Mobility, VoFly ChangKong (low-altitude manned aircraft), and Time Space DaoYu (satellite network). While competitors are still caught up in ground-based intelligent driving algorithms, Geely has completed satellite networking, enabling global service capabilities. This "ground + low-altitude + low-orbit" ecosystem builds a unique competitive barrier that distinguishes Geely from other automakers.

Geely's true ambition lies within the "Heaven and Earth Integrated" ecosystem it has built. In this 2030 blueprint, Cao Cao Mobility, Time Space DaoYu, and VoFly ChangKong have been elevated to an unprecedented strategic height.

Cao Cao Mobility plans to deploy 100,000 fully customized Robotaxis by 2030. This is no longer a business of selling a car for profit, but rather a shift towards revenue from full lifecycle mobility services.

With the completion of the first phase of the Geely Constellation network, the centimeter-level high-precision positioning services provided by Time Space DaoYu will become the infrastructure for advanced intelligent driving (L3/L4). This not only empowers all brands under Geely but also possesses the commercial imagination to export "Aerospace OS" to third-party automakers and even logistics systems.

On the scale front, Geely has set a target of 6.5 million units by 2030, with overseas sales accounting for one-third (over 2.16 million units).

In the current geopolitical environment and trade barriers, this is a highly challenging figure. Geely's choice is regional deep cultivation and brand misalignment synergy. Utilizing the home-field advantages of Volvo and Polestar in the European and American markets, as well as the localized foundation of Proton in Southeast Asia, to coordinate global resources; in Latin America, through strategic cooperation with Renault, rapidly penetrating core markets like Brazil.

A noteworthy technological increment is the "Methanol Hydrogen Electric Ecosystem." Geely has been deeply engaged in the green methanol field for over 20 years, forming a full industrial chain advantage. For overseas specific markets with diverse energy structures (such as Latin America and the Middle East), this diversified energy pathway may be more penetrating than purely electric solutions Geely's strategic shift has profound benchmark significance for the automotive industry.

For a long time, Chinese car companies have been accustomed to guerrilla warfare tactics of "quick strikes and agile responses," gaining survival space through rapid iteration and resource allocation. However, Geely's 2030 strategy indicates that once players enter the global top-tier arena, the essence of competition returns to organizational efficiency, global governance, and the certainty of underlying technologies.

As Gong Min, head of UBS China's automotive industry research, stated to Wall Street Insight, "Made in China" was once synonymous with low quality and low prices, but now it represents technological innovation. In the long term, the brand image and positioning of Chinese car companies must continue to rise.

An Conghui quoted Li Shufu in his New Year speech: "At critical moments, we must dare to make choices and be brave enough to break the deadlock."

For Li Shufu and Geely, the 2030 strategy is that choice to break the deadlock. It marks the beginning of Chinese car companies' formal challenge from "followers" to "global dominance." Behind this is not only a frenzy of capital but also a collective expedition of Chinese manufacturing in the era of AI and aerospace.

A trillion in revenue is not the end, but a ticket to the future intelligent society. For the forty-year-old Geely, the real competition has just begun