Intending to sell some five million vehicles annually in 2027, Geely Holding, also known as Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, is nothing if not ambitious. It has many passenger vehicle and commercial vehicle brands, recently merging Lynk & Co with Zeekr. There may even be further expansion of an existing alliance with Renault Group too. This report takes a look at some of the key models of the next decade from selected brands, several of which are imminent.
Geely
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The big upset of January was Geely’s surge to first place in the world’s biggest market. According to CAAM data, the Geely brand, which now includes the formerly separate Galaxy sub-brand, surged by 43 per cent year-on-year to an impressive 198,544 passenger vehicles. BYD, in second, could manage only 182,017 (-5%) ahead of VW with 171,930 (-18%). These are wholesale numbers but the picture changes when it comes to OEMs’ own supplied totals.
Much of the reason for the Geely brand’s success, which has been building for some time, is due to the Xingyue L and Xingyuan models, respectively first and second placed cars in last month’s market. The Xingrui was also in the top ten, while the Boyue (12th) and Galaxy Starship 7 (13th) each managed in excess of 20,000 wholesale deliveries.
Retail deliveries
It should be noted that at a retail sales level, VW placed first in January (190,584, -29%), followed by BYD (186,069, -2%) and Geely was only third (120,191, +12%). These numbers are provided by the OEMs themselves.
One of the most fascinating things about the ‘Star Cross(over) L’ becoming the Chinese market’s best seller (at the ex-factory/wholesale level) is that this is not a new model. In fact, the 4.8 m long SUV dates to 2021 and is due for a restyle later in 2025. Its replacement, which is scheduled for 2028, will drop CMA, the current model’s Geely-Volvo platform though hybrid powertrains should be retained. Production will remain at Xi’an in Shaanxi.
As for selected other models, the Boyue L’s successor is set for 2027, the same year as the fifth generation Emgrand (replacing the now aged SS11 series model) and the next Haoyue Pro. The Livan 7 should be facelifted in 2027 too, its replacement being expected in 2030.
Lotus
What were once highly ambitious plans for Lotus have been toned down somewhat within the last six months, some would say to a more realistic level. Further, the decision to be selling only electric cars by 2028 was publicly cancelled in November 2024. Now, the strategy is to add range-extender EVs in 2026 though the company isn’t yet giving any specific details.
The most recent debut was the Evija, its launch being some four years later than originally stated. Deliveries of the 2000+ horsepower electric hypercar finally commenced a few weeks before Christmas and the final examples should be with buyers in late 2026.
When will the delayed 134 and 135 arrive?
In 2027 the delayed Type 134, an e-SUV, should become available. Set to be around 4.7 m long, its architecture will be evolved from that already employed for the Eletre SUV and Emeya GT. This model should offer not only EV power but EREV drive too.
After the 134 is launched, the next model is the 135, the much-heralded sports car which had once been a JV with Alpine but is now a Lotus-Geely project. Originally set to arrive as an EV in 2027 it is now believed to have been re-imagined as an EREV and moved back to 2028/2029.
Lynk & Co
Officially known as Lynk & Co Automotive Technology Co., Ltd., this division has just undergone a change of ownership. Formerly co-held by Volvo Cars and Geely Holding, in mid-February their shares were transferred to Ningbo Geely and Zhejiang Zeekr Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd.
Both brands will continue though their product lines will increasingly share components, production sites and platforms. Project L946, the newly announced Lynk & Co 900, will therefore be the last model to be launched without any of these synergies. And at 5,240 mm long, this PHEV-powered SUV is the brand’s largest model yet. The architecture is Volvo Cars’ SPA2. We can expect a six-year life cycle, meaning a facelift would be due in 2027. A sales launch for the 900 is imminent.
Model names, or rather numbers, are now somewhat confused as the former 01, 02 and so on have been joined by the 900, Z10 and Z20. A follow-up to the 01 is well overdue though it could be the case that the Z10 – new in 2024 – is the successor to that car. This would make sense as the equally fresh Z20 is called 02 in Europe. By this logic, and setting the 900 to one side, the next 03 should have Z30 badges and arrive in 2026 followed by a Z50 (succeeding the 05) in 2027.
smart
A question nobody was asking just twelve months ago is now being whispered, namely, is there even a future outside China for smart, the JV between Mercedes-Benz and Geely? In January, the brand sold fewer than 2,000 vehicles in the Chinese market and as for Europe, the total was a mere 60 cars (January 2023: 2,369 according to ACEA). For all 2024, Europe-wide deliveries more than halved to 12,880. At least things are greatly improving of late in China as last year, retail sales were only 4,110.
All being well, the latest model, an MPV called #5, will have a seven-year life cycle, which would mean a facelift in 2027 and a successor in 2030. A PHEV or EREV powertrain is also said to be on the way for next year, which is when the #1 will have a mid-life update. Then in 2027 it will be the turn of the #3 for a facelift and a new powertrain. The former strategy of selling only EVs – officially abandoned in 2024 – will likely be reinstated in the early 2030s.
Volvo
VCC has recently been drawing media attention to many of its forthcoming new vehicles, as well as noting that 2024 was a second successive year for sales and revenue. More than 175,000 EVs were delivered last year, a 54 per cent surge compared to 2023. This volume represented 23 per cent of its total sales, that being 763,389 cars, MPVs and SUVs.
Like Tesla, Volvo seems to like long life cycles, the XC60 being one example. Soon to be eight years old, this, the brand’s best seller is being facelifted for a second time rather than replaced.
The mildly tweaked XC60 will be joined in 2026 by the electric-native EX60 and EX60 Cross Country, the first models for SPA3 (also known as GPA). These should be given a mid-life restyle in 2030 which is also when the XC60 is due to be discontinued. Volvo sees the EX60 as the eventual replacement though the old and new will run side by side for those four years.
Also coming next year will be a facelift for the XC40, it too is expected to have its production cycle extended until decade-end. The eventual successor should arrive towards the end of 2026, that being a second generation EX40, that model likely to be around until 2034 or 2035.
EX30 (+Gent) and EX90 (+Chengdu) build at second plants starts in 2025
Later in 2025 we can expect a RWD single-motor version of the just-announced EX30 Cross Country which will at first only come in high-power two-motors and 4WD form. There could also be a smaller battery than the 69 kWh one. Cars for North America will also start being delivered after production is added in Belgium, while assembly of the EX90 commences in China for the local market.
A big electric sedan, the ES90 (see preview detail image) will be revealed on 5 March, as well as facelifts for the S90 and V90. This way, buyers of its largest cars will be able to choose an IC propulsion system for some years yet. An ‘EV90’ as well as a Cross Country variant should arrive in 2026 and be around until the mid-2030s after being facelifted in 2030.
V446 is one further future model, this one expected to be China-specific, like the EM90. But unlike the big electric MPV (new in late 2023), this still secret project will be a plug-in hybrid. Suppliers report production at VCC’s own Taizhou plant (originally a Geely factory called Luqiao) should start later in 2025, the platform in question being CMA and the body type an SUV. As for the model name, XC50 is rumoured.
Zeekr
It was an especially busy 2024 for Zeekr, the brand’s range expanding to five models. This now comprises the X crossover, 001 hatchback, 007 sedan, 7X SUV and 009 MPV. And there will be others to come in 2025 and 2026. One of the first of these is the 007 GT (code: CC1E), a shooting brake which will soon be launched in China.
Later this year, project DX1E will be revealed. The production name of this SUV is yet to be revealed but it might be 008, with powertrains said to be both electric and plug-in hybrid. The existing 001 is also set to gain PHEV power. EX1E, a larger model, of which there are at present few firm details, is also on track for a launch this year though not until the fourth quarter. It too should have a PHEV drive system.
In 2026, the brand’s second luxury MPV should arrive. Its informal project name is claimed to be Beluga with a related SUV known as ‘Grampus’ also coming next year.
