Inchcape and Geely announce global partnership
Birmingham-based car retailer Inchcape has entered into a global partnership with Geely Auto, China’s leading automobile manufacturer.
The partnership, launched with a market distribution agreement for Chile, will be a long-term relationship that will be developed on a country-by-country basis.
Geely is recognised as a major force in automotive innovation, not least in the development of electric vehicles. Geely’s Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) is the world’s first open-source electric vehicle architecture which is expected to rapidly expand the volume and scalability of zero-emission models.
In 2020, Geely celebrated the sale of its 10 millionth vehicle, becoming the first Chinese OEM to attain this remarkable milestone.
Duncan Tait, group CEO of Inchcape, said: “This is an exciting opportunity for both Inchcape and Geely. Inchcape’s purpose is to bring mobility to the world’s communities for today, for tomorrow and for the better. In that context, Geely’s innovation, exemplified by its strong product development in Gasoline, Hybrid and Electric Vehicles, will play an important part in meeting consumer demands, sustainably.
“Geely will benefit from Inchcape’s focus on digital, data and analytics. Our Digital Experience Platform facilitates a more digital car buying experience, and we are deploying our Digital Analytics Platform to provide insights to us, our dealer network and our OEM partners.
“We look forward to working with Geely to deliver high-tech and high-value-add vehicles that benefit from their strengths in automotive design, intelligent manufacturing, R&D and quality control.
“Inchcape’s well-established presence and deep understanding of the Chilean market will serve as a good starting point for our strategic co-operation and we look forward to bringing Geely vehicles into more markets.”
Lin Jie, senior vice president of Geely Auto Group, said: “Thanks to our new generation of products and the successful transformation of our overseas operation strategy in recent years, Geely Auto achieved a new breakthrough in sales volume in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific markets, and also succeeded in a comprehensive breakthrough and upgrade in brand cultivation. In the period from January to June, Geely Auto has exported 53,422 units, up 173% year on year.
“Considering that Inchcape has been operating mainstream brands in Chile for many years, boasting a professional team, rich experience in market operation and modern management systems, our joining hands in the Chilean market is bound to be a win-win co-operation, which convinces me that a new chapter will be written by Geely in Chile.”
