New Chinese brands in ‘race to the finish line’ for survival

A Geely official once told me that the reason Chinese car groups launch so many brands is because of the lack of brand loyalty among local consumers.

We’re still in an expansionist era but it will calm down eventually – and therefore “there’s a race to be in the group that makes it to the finishing line”, they said.

Geely itself is the latest Chinese brand to launch in the UK, starting with its EX5. It’s quite a similar story to that of several other Chinese car makers that have launched here in recent months: lots of technology for a smaller outlay targeted at British buyers who aren’t as brand loyal as you think so sales are there for the taking.