The United States remains the automotive world’s most tempting prize—and one of its most difficult. For Geely Holding Group, the sprawling Chinese conglomerate that already owns Volvo, Polestar, and Lotus, the next act may finally involve putting its own newer brands on American roads. If the plan comes together, Zeekr and Lynk & Co could be built and sold in the U.S. before the end of the decade.
That’s the message coming from Geely insiders, who are now openly discussing America not as a hypothetical but as a question of timing and execution. And crucially, Geely may already have the infrastructure to pull it off without tripping over tariffs: Volvo’s factory in South Carolina.
Speaking with Autoline, Ash Sutcliffe, Geely Holding Group’s head of global communications, made it clear that the U.S. is very much on the company’s strategic radar—even if no firm commitments have been signed in ink yet.
“Right now, we’re looking at all global markets where we can expand,” Sutcliffe said. “We’re currently very strong in China. We’re developing strong in Southeast Asia. Europe is very stable. But the big question for us is when and where will we go to the USA?”
That hesitation isn’t surprising. The U.S. market has become increasingly hostile territory for Chinese-built vehicles, thanks to steep tariffs, political scrutiny, and tightening regulations. But Geely’s ownership of Volvo gives it a potential workaround: local production. Building vehicles in South Carolina would allow Geely to sidestep import penalties while presenting its products as “American-built,” at least in the regulatory sense.
Sutcliffe pointed specifically to Zeekr and Lynk & Co as brands that could resonate stateside. Both sit above mass-market offerings, aiming squarely at the premium space—an area where American buyers have shown a growing appetite, particularly for tech-heavy electrified vehicles.
And that appetite matters. While Geely declined to lock in a production timeline, Sutcliffe suggested that clarity may not be far off. An official announcement, he said, could arrive within the next two to three years.
That window aligns neatly with broader industry shifts. By the late 2020s, EV adoption in the U.S. is expected to be deeper, charging infrastructure more mature, and consumers more comfortable with brands that didn’t exist on American soil a decade earlier. Tesla cracked that psychological barrier. Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis blew it wide open. The door isn’t closed—it’s just guarded.
“From what we’re seeing so far, there’s strong demand for affordable, premium, and luxury vehicles,” Sutcliffe said. “So I think we’re in a good place to offer the American consumer something very different.”
“Different” is doing a lot of work there. Zeekr, for example, leans heavily into minimalist design, high-end materials, and aggressive electrification—think Scandinavian restraint with Chinese tech ambition. Lynk & Co plays a slightly funkier card, blending youthful styling with subscription-friendly ownership concepts that could either feel refreshing or confusing in a market still wedded to traditional buying habits.
Still, Geely isn’t coming in cold. Volvo has spent years rebuilding trust and prestige in the U.S., while Polestar has already tested American waters with mixed—but instructive—results. If Geely applies those lessons, Zeekr and Lynk & Co could arrive better prepared than most newcomers.
For now, everything remains conditional. No production lines have been assigned, no dealer networks announced, and no vehicles confirmed. But for the first time, Geely isn’t asking if it should come to America—it’s asking how.
And in today’s auto industry, that shift alone is worth paying attention to.
Source: Autoline
