Geely Expands in the UK, Strengthening China-UK Cooperation on Green Mobility

CGTN Europe

Mike Yang, General Manager of Geely Auto UK, spoke to CGTN Europe about the company’s expansion strategy in the UK. He discussed how Geely is tackling challenges such as improving access to charging infrastructure and addressing lingering perceptions of Chinese products among older consumers. Yang noted that Geely has received strong support from the UK government and is collaborating with local partners to strengthen the country’s EV charging network. He added that the solid relationship between China and the UK provides a favourable environment for Geely’s continued growth in the region.

Transcript

00:00Britain has been embracing Chinese electric vehicles and plans are underway to upgrade

00:05major UK ports to make deliveries smoother.

00:08Geely launched here last month.

00:10Our correspondent Geoff Moody spoke to UK Managing Director Mike Yang.

00:16We know clearly ever since the beginning that we are not coming here to sell and service

00:21cars, but for a better solution for a new energy vehicle transition.

00:27And we also understand that access to charging is an important barrier to block the customers

00:38for buying a new energy vehicle.

00:40So we worked with a local leading home charge supplier named Anderson.

00:46We also invest significant resources to contribute to the customers' purchase and installation

00:54of the home charge.

00:56It's a very crowded market, isn't it?

00:58I mean, you're not just competing with very well established European and American brands,

01:03you're also competing with other Chinese brands that are just beginning to come into the market.

01:08What made you decide to do it and what makes you think that you can succeed?

01:11Truly, the market is always clouded and it seems getting even clouded currently.

01:18But if a brand has its own developing strategy and has competitive models and advanced technology

01:29for the market, it is always potential.

01:32A lot of people, younger people, are slowly coming round to the idea of looking at Chinese goods

01:40as quality goods.

01:42But you're not winning the battle when it comes to older people who still, when they think

01:48goods coming in from China, it's going to be cheap, they're going to be low quality.

01:55They're not quite au fait with the concept of China being a high quality product, are they?

02:02Yeah.

02:03It's true.

02:04On one hand, Geely, although Geely is newly introduced into UK, but the Geely family has been rooted

02:13in UK landscape for a long time, for more than 20 years.

02:17So, when we talk with our potential customers, dealer partners, and freighter, and also other

02:24business partners, it looks like we are older friends already because of the DNA of the group

02:30that runs across the UK in the past times.

02:33Why now?

02:34I mean, I presume part of it is the whole tariffs thing, the fact that the EU is charging China

02:40tariffs, America is.

02:42And yet, the relationship between Britain and China, on a trade basis, is very strong

02:48because it's frictionless, isn't it?

02:50It is a great potential and opportunity for us.

02:53UK keeps very reliable and sustainable relationship with China in terms of trading and tariffs.

03:02So, it is an advantage for us.

03:05Southampton, the port of Southampton, is going to invest millions of pounds to make the port

03:14welcoming to Chinese cars coming in.

03:16That's a good sign, isn't it?

03:18A good sign of the relationship between China and the UK.

03:21Yes, really.

03:22It is a good sign of the good relationship and expanding the capacity of the trading and

03:28enhance the efficiency of the logistics and also for the society.

03:33Yeah.

03:34All this investing, I think we have a common idea to benefit our customers.

03:39Are you getting enough support from the UK government, do you think?

03:42Sure.

03:43We get a lot of support from UK.

03:45Geely keeps very strong relationship with the UK government in terms of the business of

03:51Volvo, of Polestar, of Lotus and LEVC.

03:56When it comes to buying an EV in the first place, there are two schools of thought, aren't

04:02there?

04:03There's people that say, well, yes, it's great for the environment.

04:07But there are others that say, well, you can't do long journeys because you've got to constantly

04:13think about where you're going to charge.

04:15It takes time to charge.

04:16There are cables everywhere at home and on the street.

04:20It's not as good as it could be.

04:22It's not necessarily the way out of the climate crisis that people think.

04:26What's your take on that?

04:28First of all, the government is investing in the facility of the charging.

04:34And all the brands are trying its best to solve this problem for the customers.

04:42And you're presenting a new image of China, aren't you?

04:46That must make you proud.

04:48For me, I'm presenting the country and the brand.

04:53And also, I'm representing of Geely customers.

04:57To be the bridge of the UK customers' favors and as a Geely headquarter in China, I need

05:05to adhere to the UK customers' favors and adopt more Geely advanced technologies and models

05:12to match the customers' favor.

05:14Cool!

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