Geely Mar sales hold steady as exports surge 120%

• Geely March sales flat year-on-year at 233,031 units, with exports surging 120% as the core driver.
• Geely Galaxy remains weak, while the premium Zeekr brand posts a strong performance.

Geely Auto saw flat vehicle sales last month compared to a year earlier, as continued robust export growth offset a domestic decline driven by seasonal weakness.

The auto giant's vehicle sales reached 233,031 units in March, edging up 0.37% year-on-year and rising 13.03% from January, according to data released Wednesday.

The result extends a months-long trend of stable overall volume masking significant internal divergence, with widening performance gaps across different powertrains and brands.

The main Geely brand sold 178,287 units in March, down 6.88% year-on-year but up 15.07% from the previous month.

Sales of the Geely Galaxy brand stood at 82,744 units, dropping 8.09% from a year ago but rising 13.15% month-on-month. This marks the brand's third consecutive month of year-on-year sales decline, a departure from the rapid growth seen over the past year.

In contrast, premium and new energy vehicle (NEV)-related brands continued to show greater resilience.

Lynk & Co sold 25,426 units in March, up 0.53% year-on-year but down 7.07% from the previous month.

Meanwhile, the Zeekr brand's sales reached 29,318 units, surging 90.11% year-on-year and jumping 22.84% from February.

Zeekr's robust growth further cements its position as Geely Auto's premium electrification spearhead, while also reflecting resilient demand in the high-end NEV market.

By powertrain, sales of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) fell 18% year-on-year to 70,557 units in March, whereas plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) saw sales surge 70% to 56,762 units.

Overall NEV performance continued to improve. Geely Auto's NEV sales reached 127,319 units in March, up 6% year-on-year, lifting their share of total sales to 55%.

Exports remained the biggest bright spot. Overseas shipments hit a record 81,639 units in March, skyrocketing 120% year-on-year and rising 34.10% from the previous month, sustaining their upward momentum.

The surge is closely tied to the company's accelerated global expansion, with products now entering multiple markets across Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East, alongside the gradual establishment of local sales and service networks.

For the first quarter, Geely Auto's total sales reached 709,358 units, up about 1% year-on-year, while NEV sales grew 9%, indicating ongoing structural transformation.

Overseas sales for the same period topped 203,024 units, jumping more than 100% year-on-year, demonstrating that international markets are becoming a crucial pivot to withstand domestic competitive pressures.

China's auto market remains in a fiercely competitive phase, with price wars squeezing profit margins and forcing automakers to seek new growth sources through exports and product upgrades.