In case you have not noticed just yet, the Swedish automaker, Volvo, now belongs to a Chinese man by the name Li Shufu. As it turns out, this man also owns the Chinese automotive brand, Geely. Volvo is now reportedly working on a revival plan that will last through the next five years, during which the company will develop new engines and platforms. However, the Chinese man that now owns the Swedish automaker has also made his point clear that he is determined to make his Chinese automotive brand, Geely, a somewhat feared contender in the industry.
In order to achieve that goal of his, this billionaire from mainland China has decided to put an end to brands like Englon, Gleagle and Emgrand, all of which were introduced back in the year 2009. He will focus solely on the Geely brand from now onwards. Killing all those three brands is in fact a clever move, at least according to Harry Chen, an analyst at Guotai Junan Securities Co., as what he has pointed out to Bloomberg. This is perhaps also a necessary move, after all, considering sales of the Geely brand have gone down by 22% compared to November last year. The brand is losing sales to competitors like GM and VW.
In addition to that, CEO Zhejiang Geely, An Conghui, has also been quoted mentioning that Chinese automakers are trying to recruit the best designers in the automotive industry and even to create a new vehicle design language that will eventually be adapted throughout the entire globe. According to Conghui, the automakers from China can actually make good cars and not just any cars.
Speaking of Geely trying to make a name as a feared contender in the industry, Peter Horbury, ex-Volvo design director, has actually been designing his very first Geely vehicle model ever. It will be a sedan and will be known as the GC9. Well, let’s just wait and see what this Chinese automaker has in store in the upcoming future.
