• Swedish Prime Minister and Chairman of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group witness historic signing of Letter of Intent between Geely Auto Group and the city of Gothenburg
  • Geely Auto Group to develop 70,000 sq. metre Geely Innovation Centre in Gothenburg
  • Planned Geely Innovation Centre to house over 3500 highly skilled staff when completed

28 June 2017, Hangzhou, China. Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven, Gothenburg Mayor Ann-Sofie Hermansson, and their joint delegation visited Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (ZGH) headquarters in Hangzhou where they were welcomed by ZGH Chairman Eric Li and Group President Mr An Conghui. The two parties, Geely Auto Group (Geely Auto) and the City of Gothenburg signed a Letter of Intent to develop a 70,000 sq. metre Innovation Centre in the heart of Gothenburg.

The planned Geely Innovation Centre will be located at the Lindholmen Science Park in Gothenburg and will upon completion house the China Euro Vehicle Technology Centre (CEVT), Geely powertrain R&D centre, Geely Design Europe, LYNK & CO’s International Marketing, Sales, and Services, as well as several key suppliers to Geely and serviced apartment facilities. The new Geely Innovation Centre, with operations planned to start in 2020, will be wholly owned by ZGH and operated by Geely Auto through a new Swedish holding company. The Letter of Intent signifies ZGH’s commitment to the Gothenburg region and the deepening cooperative relationship between China and Sweden.

ZGH President and Geely Auto CEO, Mr An Conghui led the delegation on a tour of Geely headquarters and briefed them on Geely Auto’s latest innovative projects including the Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) that will be used by both Volvo Cars and Geely Auto. Geely Auto will develop a new series of products based on the CMA architecture for the LYNK & CO to compete in the global premium segment. All LYNK & CO vehicles are designed and engineered in Gothenburg, Sweden. PM Löfven and Mayor Hermansson were also given the opportunity to drive and experience the LYNK & CO 01 and all its features such as connectivity and sharing technology.

Prime Minister Löfven was quoted saying “We are very pleased with Geely’s long-term commitment, belief and investment in Sweden. Geely has developed and strengthened Volvo as a leading car brand and this new Innovation centre, together with earlier substantial investments, contributes to both growth and jobs in Sweden.”

Mayor Hermansson said “This is indeed a great day. I am very happy about the Letter of Intent and about the establishment of a Geely Innovation Centre in Gothenburg. The new facilities will not only be an important step forward for Geely, they will also be very positive for the local automotive cluster, for the City of Gothenburg, for the automotive industry in Sweden, and for Sino-Swedish relations in general.“

Chairman Eric Li commented, “The Swedish government and the city of Gothenburg have been very supportive of our R&D efforts and we highly appreciate their unwavering support. We are fully committed to our long term investment in Sweden, furthermore by leveraging the expertise and talent pool in Gothenburg. By working alongside the planned Electric Mobility Lab in Lindholmen, we aim to develop the Geely Innovation Centre into one of the most advanced innovation hubs in Europe.”