Geely Unifies R&D Between Sweden and Germany: Less Than Six Months Between China and Western Markets
Geely Auto Group has unified its research and development centers in Europe under a new entity known as Geely Technology Europe. The announcement completes a reorganization that consolidates the Gothenburg hub in Sweden and the Frankfurt hub in Germany, until now operating as separate entities. The declared goal: to halve the time between the launch of a model in China and its availability in international markets, reducing the gap to less than six months.
Thirteen Years of European History
The Swedish center has deep roots in the group: it was founded in 2013 as China Euro Vehicle Technology (CEVT), a result of the partnership with Volvo Cars, and then in March 2024 it was renamed to Zeekr Technology Europe to reflect its growing role in the group's electric premium ecosystem. The operational headquarters is the Geely Innovation Centre in Lindholmen, Gothenburg, a 100,000 square meter building that houses over a thousand employees. The CEVT developed the modular platform SEA (Sustainable Experience Architecture), essential for Geely and adopted by Zeekr 001, Polestar 4, Volvo EX30, and Smart #1, among other vehicles. This hub was complemented by a smaller unit in Frankfurt, which is now also integrated into the new structure.
Leading Geely Technology Europe is Giovanni Lanfranchi, who has been the CEO of CEVT since September 2023, and a manager with over twenty years of experience in engineering leadership roles. His vision is summarized in the phrase "borderless R&D": a setting where European teams work in structural alignment with the Geely Research Institute (GRI) in China from the earliest stages of program definition, not after development has begun. As Lanfranchi stated, "Europe is more than a key market; it is a global benchmark for automotive excellence and the demanding expectations of customers."
Three Areas, an Aggressive Plan
Geely Technology Europe will focus on three main areas. The first is the co-shared development of next-generation global architectures, both mechanical and electric/electronic (E/E), in synergy with Chinese teams. The second is the translation of European customer needs and local regulatory requirements to avoid the typical late adaptation cycle that historically hampers international launches. The third pillar concerns software-defined vehicles: Agentic AI, advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), intelligent cockpits, compliance with European data privacy standards, and cybersecurity.
The new hub will serve as a technical reference for the brands Zeekr, Lynk & Co, and Geely Auto. By 2027, Geely Technology Europe aims to double the projects of new models managed in Europe, consistently with the sales targets that the group openly defines as "aggressive". Geely Holding stated in January that it aims to be among the top 5 global manufacturers by 2030.
ADAS Certified for Europe
The creation of Geely Technology Europe fits within a context of regulatory acceleration favorable to the group. In recent weeks, Geely obtained the UN R171 certification for the driver assistance system G-ASD (Qianli Haohan), the first ADAS developed by a Chinese manufacturer to receive European approval. The certification, issued jointly by CATARC and IDIADA, acts as a "regulatory passport": vehicles equipped with G-ASD can be marketed directly in all UNECE member states without country-specific approvals. The system runs on dual NVIDIA Orin-X chips and supports assisted driving at speeds up to 150 km/h on European highways, with features like automatic lane change, autonomous overtaking, and dynamic speed management. The first vehicle with certified G-ASD is expected on European roads by June 2026, followed by a progressive rollout on Zeekr, Lynk & Co, and Lotus.
The establishment of Geely Technology Europe is not just a rebranding: it is the formalization of a development model where Europe stops being a destination market and becomes an active laboratory for the entire global strategy of the group. With the ADAS certification already in hand and a unified R&D hub, Geely is presenting itself for the upcoming European launches with an organizational structure capable of moving at the same speed as the markets it aims to conquer.