Chinese automaker Geely plans to use Volvo's European production facilities for its premium models starting in 2028, according to infohub.kz.
The plans for overseas production were announced by An Conghui, the new chairman of Geely Automobile, at a conference on the first half of 2026 results. He said Volvo's European plants will become an important production base for Geely's strategy in local markets. Mass production is scheduled to begin in 2028.
Geely Automobile currently controls four brands: Geely, Geely Galaxy, Zeekr, and Lynk & Co. According to Carnewschina, the most likely candidates for European assembly are the Zeekr 9X, a large flagship crossover with a plug-in hybrid powertrain; the Zeekr 8X, another large SUV aimed at the upper market segment; and the Lynk & Co 900, a large premium plug-in hybrid crossover.
Volvo has two active car plants in Europe, in Sweden and Belgium. Additionally, a new plant is under construction in Slovakia, designed for electric vehicle production, with launch scheduled for early 2027. Thus, by 2028, Geely could potentially use three European sites.
Producing cars in Europe will allow Geely to reduce its dependence on supplies from China and bring production closer to the European market. Furthermore, localization could help the group's brands strengthen their position in the region. However, the company has not yet specified which models will be produced at these plants and what production volumes are planned.
In the first half of 2026, Geely Holding ranked seventh among the world's largest automakers with a market share of 4.6%. In the Chinese market, one of the group's bestsellers remains the compact electric vehicle Geely EX2 (Xingyuan/E2). Earlier reports indicated that Geely would start producing cars at Ford's plant in Spain.