"Geely to further promote self-developed car business
Most people think that China's self-developed cars will be heavily stricken by the joint-venture brands in 2012, but Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd. is confident of achieving a full-year sales volume of more than 600,000 units.
After the brand and product transformation in 2007, the self-developed carmaker based in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, has successively established 15 various car model platforms based on five technical platforms.
Before 2015, it is scheduled to put over 40 new car models into production, and nine ones will hit the market this year.
In particular, Geely has formed a complete distribution and service network under three brands: Gleagle, Emgrand, and Englon, and these three divisions will all strive for an annual sales volume of 300,000 units in the near future.
Its sales target for the entire 2010 is relatively conservative. Based on a cautious estimate that the Chinese automotive market could grow 15% to 20%, Geely aims to sell 412,000 vehicles, including 390,000 and 22,000 ones vended at home and abroad, respectively.
From January to May, the corporation aggregately sold more than 170,000 cars around China, with a 51.7% hike year on year. Therefore, it is highly expected to kick off half of the full-year goal, once the sales volume for June alone is taken into the calculation, said people with the direct knowledge of the matter.
Of course, Geely prefers brand to sales volume and know that Chinese self-developed auto brands that always pursue a leap-forward development will possibly suffer failure within two to three years, in case of unstable foundation.
In the second half of 2010, the Hangzhou-based company is set to launch nine new car models at least, and the EC 825 will be its stepping-stone to the B+ automobile market. Being the first high- and medium-end sedan of Geely, this product priced at more than CNY 100,000 is 4.9 meters long, with an over 2.8-meter wheelbase.
The yearly sales volume of EC 825 is estimated at 30,000 units or so. Remarkably, Geely is designed to build up its presence in the government procurement and business car markets, by promoting this new sedan model.
In addition, its first SUV named EX 718, the first actual crossover, and two new cars to be yielded based on the same production platform will hit the market.
By last month, the proportion of China's self-developed passenger car sales volume to total auto sales had declined for three consecutive months."
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