China’s Geely is reportedly keen to expand its presence in the United States. In an interview with Autoline during the CES 2026 show, Geely’s Head of Global Communications, Ash Sutcliffe, confirmed that an official announcement regarding the group’s US market strategy is expected within the next 24 to 36 months.
“Right now, we’re looking at all global markets where we can expand. We’re currently very strong in China. We’re developing strong[ly] in Southeast Asia. Europe is very stable. But the big question for us is when and where will we go to the USA? I think we’ll have an announcement on that in the next 24 to 36 months,” Sutcliffe said.
Geely technically already operates in the US as the parent company of established brands Volvo, Lotus, and Polestar, but those brands do largely operate independently within the group. Speaking to Autoline, Sutcliffe suggested that the US expansion could see the automotive giant take a more hands-on approach with the introduction of Zeekr and Lynk & Co to the market, though he stopped short of confirming a specific timeline for the arrival of these brands.
“From what we’re seeing so far, there’s strong demand for affordable, premium, and luxury vehicles, so I think we’re in a good place to offer the American consumer something very different,” he said.
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For CES 2026, Geely brought out a fleet of its vehicles for test-drive sessions. The lineup included the Zeekr X, 7X, and 9X, alongside the Lynk & Co 900 and the Geely EX5, which is the sibling of the Proton eMAS 7 (stylised as e.MAS 7). The EX5, however, is probably the least likely in the bunch to arrive stateside, given the company’s more premium aspirations for the market.
The US Federal Government currently imposes a 100% tariff on Chinese-imported cars, alongside a ban on Chinese-developed vehicle software. To navigate these restrictions, Geely could potentially utilise Volvo’s existing manufacturing facility in South Carolina to assemble Zeekr and Lynk & Co models locally.
Should these plans materialise, these models are expected to undergo significant localisation to meet federal regulations, particularly regarding the replacement of restricted software and hardware components.
At the same event, Geely also announced its next-generation ADAS system called Geely Afari Smart Driving (G-ASD), which is supposedly able to self-reflect and evolve like a human driver, thanks to the utilisation of artificial intelligence (AI).
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