Newly appointed Geely New Zealand brand manager Jordan Haines is confident the EX5 pure-electric SUV is the right car to launch the brand in New Zealand. But don't assume that means a sole focus on battery electric vehicles (BEVs) for the future.
The EX5 is pretty much the newest thing from the Chinese maker, which also owns Volvo, Polestar and Lotus, and is in partnership with Mercedes-Benz for the Smart brand.
"This is a great opportunity to launch the brand," says Haines. "The reality is that last month the BEV market was only 7%, but this [the EX5] is a really important technological showpiece for the brand. We see a place for EV, that's for sure.
"But we do want to make sure we are bringing sustainable models to market. We're not just going to be an electric brand; we think it's really important to cover all powertrains, so we'll have plug-in hybrids, normal hybrids, and internal combustion engines going forward. We will time that with the phases of the dealer rollout."
Geely is part of Giltrap Group in NZ; Haines was formerly national sales manager for Volkswagen.
The company is yet to share too much detail in terms of the sales network (or even pricing of the EX5) ahead of the official launch in April, but it's confirmed that there will be a single dealer in Auckland to begin with, along with a test-drive and delivery centre in Christchurch.
It intends to roll out dealerships in Hamilton and Wellington before the end of the year. And from there... will presumably see how it's all going.
"We're looking at Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3 as we bring more models to market," says Haines.
"It's a matter of getting the brand established and volume will come as we increase those different powertrains in the market. It's a bit too early [to be specific], but we definitely want to be a volume brand."
Which other cars from the Geely catalogue might be starters for NZ in the future is not yet clear, but the company seems committed to right-hand drive and the range of models in China under the "Geely Galaxy" new-energy brand (PHEV and BEV) is staggering. The EX5 is sold there as the Geely Galaxy E5.
The association with the likes of Volvo and Polestar could certainly help Geely get established here, agrees Haines, although he argues there's not much crossover in customer profile.
"There’s two different ways I see it. It would be remiss of us not to mention the partnerships in terms of the technology, although I don’t think there's too much overlap for customers. But it’s a good message: we’re not just a standalone brand, we bring all of that group power.
"It would be silly not to mention it, especially with Volvo’s connection in terms of safety."
The other elephant in the room is Zeekr, a Geely premium brand aimed at export markets that's already in Australia.
"What I can say is that there is no official NZ importer for Zeekr," says Haines. "My focus is Geely."