9:04 am, January 19, 2026
Chinese carmaker Geely is looking to capitalise on its ownership of Volvo, Polestar and Lotus in order to make a success at being a standalone brand in the UK.
That is the verdict of the outfit’s head of sales in Britain, who has admitted to challenges in launching the new brand in this country.
Appearing on the most recent episode of the Car Dealer Podcast, Harry Bathe said that the firm is leaning on its existing connections.
It is hoped that the approach will help to win over customers who are unsure about the Geely brand, having only heard of the likes of BYD when it comes to Chinese manufacturers.
Car Dealer reported last July that Geely would be launching as its own brand in the UK, with sales of its first car – the EX5 electric C-segment SUV – getting underway soon after.
As part of that car’s development, the designers worked with Lotus to tailor it to UK roads and Bathe says that connection is proving to be a major USP for the new brand.
He told Car Dealer’s James Batchelor and Jon Reay: ‘I think the key thing for us in the UK, which we obviously will happily take advantage of and build on, is the Volvo, Polestar, Lotus connection. That’s on our culture wall in our showroom.
‘A customer goes in the showroom and they see those badges on the wall. That really is quite a powerful tool to get around that occasional negative perception of a new brand, which is “What’s this brand all about? Who’s this brand from a customer point of view?”.
‘They don’t know the brand, they don’t know anything about it, but the salesperson can say to a customer, “Look at this, these are other companies within the Geely family”.
‘All of a sudden the customer’s like, “Okay, I know that brand, I trust that brand, these brands are linked. Okay, I’m happy with that”.
‘That us something we really go to town on as far as we’re allowed to. The culture wall in the showrooms has got all of the Geely brands on it and it’s quite a powerful tool to try and build that momentum.
‘You speak to people today and they’ve heard of BYD. Give it 12 months down the line, hopefully we’ll be in a similar boat. As soon as you explain to somebody that Geely is the parent company [of Volvo, Polestar and Lotus] it all becomes clear.
‘It’s just building that brand.’
The Car Dealer Podcast sees an industry guest join our hosts to discuss the motor trade’s biggest headlines of every week.
In a wide-ranging chat, Bathe also discussed what makes Geely stand out among a swathe of new Chinese brands, as well as his own journey from a trainee salesman at his local Ford dealer in Oxford.
You can listen to the full interview on Spotify, with all episodes available to watch on our YouTube channel.
