Geely Auto Group has set up Geely Technology Europe (Geely Tech Europe) as part of its push to expand outside China.

The new unit combines the group’s engineering centres in Gothenburg, Sweden, and Frankfurt, Germany, into a single European R&D organisation.

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Geely said the aim is to put European innovation at the centre of its global vehicle development work.

Geely Tech Europe will work closely with the Geely Research Institute (GRI) in China. The group said this arrangement will support the development of vehicle platforms intended for worldwide markets from the start of programmes.

The organisation will provide coordinated engineering support across Zeekr, Lynk & Co and Geely.

Geely also said it wants to reduce the time gap between China launches and overseas introductions to less than six months.

To back what it called “aggressive” overseas sales targets, Geely Tech Europe plans to double the number of European carline projects it manages by 2027.

Geely said the unit will focus on three areas. These include developing next-generation mechanical and E/E architectures alongside teams in China.

It will also translate European and international customer demands, as well as regulatory requirements, into global vehicle programmes.

A third focus is software-defined vehicles, covering Agentic AI, advanced intelligent driving (ADAS), smart cockpits, and European data privacy and cybersecurity standards.

Giovanni Lanfranchi, CEO of Geely Technology Europe, said: “Europe is more than a key market; it is a global benchmark for automotive excellence and demanding customer expectations. To succeed, it is essential to anticipate and incorporate the needs of all regions from the start of development.

“Establishing Geely Technology Europe creates a genuinely borderless R&D setup — a strategic edge that allows us to not only meet global standards, but help set them.”

Geely said the move builds on its existing European presence. The Gothenburg base was established in 2013 as China Euro Vehicle Technology (CEVT).

That operation later became Zeekr Technology Europe (ZTE) as it supported the development of the electric brand. It is now being widened again through the integration with the Frankfurt engineering team.

Geely said Geely Tech Europe will continue to expand its regional ecosystem by hiring talent and strengthening links with universities, tech start-ups and innovation hubs across Europe.