7:26 am, September 14, 2026
The battle for new car buyers is getting fiercer than ever with yet more Chinese car dealerships popping up across the UK – but what’s it like working in one?
To find out, I spent the day behind the scenes at Geely’s latest showroom, just down the road from Car Dealer HQ in Fareham, Hampshire.
Geely Portsmouth is operated by growing South Coast motor group Richmond, and has popped up in a large former Skoda showroom on a previously mothballed multi-franchise site.
In a matter of months, I’ve watched as new signage has popped up and Geely has moved in. Today I’m here to see how they do things and watch as it hands over the first of many 76-reg cars.
Geely only launched in the UK last October but already has more than 70 dealers to its name including some of the biggest Car Dealer Top 100 groups like Arnold Clark, Vertu, Sytner and Lookers.
Geely PR man Simon Branney tells me that by the end of 2026 there should be 100 dealerships like this one dotted around the country.
‘We’re aiming for 90 to 95% coverage of the UK with our dealer network,’ he explains. ‘Dealers are vital to our plans.’
That’s music to the ears of investors like Michael Nobes, the man behind the Richmond Group. He started his business in 1995 and built it on the back of the Korean firm Hyundai, later partnering with Suzuki and MG.
Nobes told me he’d been very successful with MG and that gave him the confidence to partner with the Chinese. He’s now got two Chery sites, this freshly opened Geely showroom, and is already planning to add two more Chinese brands next door.
‘I’ve been very surprised at how quickly these Chinese brands have taken over, but they’ve identified the market and they’re really quick to act,’ he said.
‘We saw that with MG and they convinced us to go Chinese. They give the market what it’s looking for and price the cars well.
‘We’ve had probably 15 years of tough economic conditions and it has needed OEMs that were going to adapt to the situation and these guys – Geely, Chery, MG – have identified the market and given the consumer what they want.’
Vacant site
I arrived at the new Geely showroom just six weeks after it opened and the staff told me they’ve had to work hard getting it off the ground. As it had lied vacant for a while, Geely hasn’t taken straight over from another franchise so the team are having to build up their reputation again.
Already, though, four sales staff are working the phones and dealing with customers under the watchful eye of sales manager James Leckey, 42.
He tells me he used to work at Mercedes and has been bowled over by the quality of the Geely cars.
‘They’re very good – just look inside them,’ as he points me towards one of many EX5s in the showroom.
I agree, the Geely cars look and feel pretty premium and when you hear about the wider group the firm is part of, you begin to understand why.
Geely Holdings owns Volvo, Polestar and Lotus. The Chinese firm also has van firm Farizon in its stable, the black cab maker LEVC, Lynk & Co and premium car brand Zeekr. It also has share holdings in Smart and Aston Martin.
And while it might be a relatively new name to the UK, in its home country Geely’s EX2 city car (above) was the best selling car in 2025, notching up some 465,000 sales.
Leckey tells me it’s facts like these that help him and his team convince buyers that a car from a seemingly new brand is a safe bet.
‘We explain who is behind Geely, what other car brands they own, and as soon as they hear Volvo is part of the group they get the safety connection,’ he explains.
Dotted around the showroom is marketing material playing on the Geely group of automotive brands. It’s rare to see other car manufacturer logos in a franchised car dealership, but Geely is proud to show them off.
China’s best seller
Joe Ross, 23, has been selling cars for three years having previously worked at Motorpoint. He shows me around the new EX2, the first of which has just arrived at Geely Portsmouth.
‘I tell customers this is a Fiesta-sized car with Focus space and really play on the other brands in the group,’ he said.
‘People do have some concerns about Chinese brands, but when they drive this car they’re usually convinced. The tech you get for the money is really impressive.’
It’s those deals that are really helping brands like Geely cut through. The firm is offering zero per cent finance on cars like the EX5 with deposits of less than £2,000 and monthly payments of around £229 a month.
‘It’s been a long time since you heard the words zero per cent finance isn’t it?’ jokes Leckey.
These aggressive deals are seeing customers swap out of traditional brands and try something new. On the day of my visit Dave Harrison was picking up his Starray after chopping in his 23-plate Kia Xceed.
‘I have had three Kias in a row, but this time they couldn’t get anywhere near the deal I got on this,’ he said.
‘I tried a few Chinese cars, including a Chery, but this one was a great deal and I loved the way it drove and the tech.’
Harrison won’t have been the only person picking up a new 76-plate Chinese car on new reg day. Chinese car brands are rapidly heading towards a 20% market share in the UK and they’re managing thanks to these rock bottom prices.
Leckey said: ‘People are realising they can have a brand new car now for very low monthly payments instead of a used car.
‘Buyers are coming from all different brands to change for these because once they try one they see the quality and the specification they get as standard.’
Low monthlies
Having spent a day behind the scenes at albeit a relatively new Chinese car dealership it’s immediately obvious why sales for these firms are accelerating. For most buyers, this is often the first chance they’ve had in a very long time to be able to drive a brand new car for incredibly low monthly payments.
‘It has to be hitting the used car market because we’re taking so many of those sorts of customers out of the market,’ added Lecky.
New to the business and the industry is sales executive Beth Barnes. The 28-year-old is fresh out of university and is just two weeks into her role at Geely Portsmouth when we meet.
She told me she’s already been selling cars after a four-day training course on the brand.
‘The cars sell themselves,’ she explains. ‘I had actually never heard of Geely before I joined but the more I learn about the cars, the more they surprise me.
‘Customers love the price and they come with everything most brands charge extra for. A lot of people ask where the cars come from and when we say it’s a Chinese car brand that is partnered with Volvo and Polestar they relax a lot.’
That wider group really could be the ace up the sleeve for Geely as UK car buyers are bombarded with a huge number of new brands.
Autotrader recently told us they expected a further 15 Chinese car firms to come to the UK on top of those already selling cars, so the new car market is set to get even more crowded and confusing. Expect, then, to see even more dealer groups around the UK investing in Chinese car sites like this one, very soon.