Geely Group sales up 4.7pc in 2022

ZHEJIANG Geely Holding Group has announced aggregate sales across its automotive brands – Farizon, Geely Auto, Geometry, LEVC, Livan, Lotus, Lynk & Co, Polestar, Proton, Radar, Smart, Volvo and Zeekr – grew 4.7 per cent in year-on-year to exceed 2.3 million units in 2022.

The news marks the fifth consecutive year in which Geely has recorded more than two million aggregate unit sales, the 2022 figures including more than 675,000 new energy vehicles (NEV) or 29 per cent of its aggregate group sales.

Geely said it is not an accident that its improved sales performance coincided with its “continued focus on electrification, next-generation technologies and synergies in sustainability”.

By brand, Geely Auto – which includes Geometry, Livan, Lynk & Co and Zeekr – reported 2022 sales of 1.43 million units, an eight per cent year-on-year increase driven largely by the company’s expanding global presence and increased NEV sales.

The company said that within the NEV segment (including BEV, HEV and PHEV models) it saw unit sales “more than double” to 345,471 units.

Lynk & Co delivered 180,127 units globally across 2022. Citing the growth of its business subscription model in Europe (up 145 per cent to 180,000 members), and new markets, including those in the Middle East and Asia Pacific, Geely says Lynk & Co has now delivered more than 800,000 units since its inception in 2016.

Geely’s pure electric mass market brand Geometry released two new models in 2022 and grew sales in Eastern Europe and South America considerably, up 170 per cent to 149,389 units.

Battery-swapping brand Livan achieved 56,140 sales in its first full year of production, while electric brand Zeekr completed its first full year of sales by exceeding its target of 70,000 units (71,941). Geely says it plans to double sales of Zeekr models by the end of 2023 as it moves into selected European markets.

Proton Cars – of which Geely controls a 49.9 per cent stake with DRB-Hicom – recorded its fourth consecutive year of growth with a 23.3 per cent year-on-year increase in sales. 

The Malaysian national brand maintained its number-two position in its home market and, according to Geely, will become the number-three producer in the ASEAN region, with 2022 exports of 5406 units (up 79.1 per cent).

British brand Lotus was noted as having “a strong order bank for its two newest models”, however Geely did not report actual sales figures.

Volvo cars achieved sales of 615,121 units in 2022 – with 10.9 per cent of those being battery electric models – while Swedish electric brand Poletsar exceeded its forecast of 50,000 units globally to notch up 51,500 sales.

The newly announced Smart #1 recorded “over 10,000” unit sales in China, with Geely saying it will expand the brand into markets including South East Asia and Europe in 2023.

Geely said Farizon grew brand sales by 55 per cent and LEVC 67 per cent, though final sales numbers were not stated.

In 2023, Geely said it anticipates increasing demand for NEV models across its brands, and says disruptions to the supply chain and related component shortages are expected to continue easing.

Among Geely’s subsidiaries, it says the Geely Automotive Group has forecast a sales target of 1.65 million units in 2023 (an increase of 15 per cent on 2022), adding that Zeekr will double its sales and Polestar will grow by 60 per cent.