- Geely's overseas sales surged 244.70% year-on-year in April, while domestic sales tumbled 27.62%.
- Premium brand Zeekr hit a new delivery record, while mass-market brand Geely Galaxy extended its year-on-year sales decline.
Geely Auto posted a marginal increase in vehicle sales last month, as robust and record-breaking overseas exports offset the negative impact of persistent weakness in the domestic market.
The Chinese auto giant's total sales reached 235,164 vehicles in April, up a slight 0.45% from a year earlier and 0.92% higher than March, according to data released Friday.
Exports continued to be Geely's biggest growth engine. The company sold a record 83,186 vehicles overseas in April, a year-on-year surge of 244.70%.
In contrast, its performance in the domestic market appeared bleak. Geely's domestic sales in April stood at 151,978 vehicles, tumbling 27.62% from a year ago, despite a slight 0.39% increase from March.
Sales of new energy vehicles (NEVs) remained resilient. Geely's NEV sales reached 135,591 units in April, up 8% year-on-year, contributing 58% of total sales.
The performance of its premium electric vehicle (EV) brand Zeekr was particularly striking, delivering a record 31,787 vehicles in April for a massive 131.57% year-on-year jump.
Zeekr's strong performance was largely driven by its high-end product matrix. Deliveries of its 9X large hybrid SUV topped 10,000 units again in April. The average transaction price for this SUV exceeded 530,000 yuan ($77,619).
Zeekr's newly launched 8X SUV has also become a new growth engine for the brand, with nearly 3,500 units delivered within 13 days of its market debut.
However, the performance of Geely's other sub-brands showed clear divergence. Geely Galaxy sold 91,001 vehicles in April, down 5.83% year-on-year.
This marks the fourth consecutive month of year-on-year sales declines for Geely Galaxy, although it grew 9.98% from March.
The Lynk & Co brand's sales in April were 22,755 vehicles, dropping 17.52% year-on-year and 10.50% from March.
For the January-to-April period, Geely Auto's cumulative total sales reached 944,522 vehicles, edging up 0.70% from a year earlier.
During this period, the company's overseas exports amounted to 286,210 vehicles, surging 150.87% year-on-year.
The robust export business is becoming key for Geely to withstand the pressure of the domestic price war. Excluding the impact of foreign exchange fluctuations, the company's core profit in the first quarter jumped 31%, according to earnings released earlier this month.
($1 = 6.8282 yuan)
