- Geely Auto invested 485 million RMB for the opening of 18 new dealerships in Southwest China.
- New dealerships developed in support of Geely’s goal to sell over 1 million vehicles in 2017.
- New dealerships part of Geely’s push to expand its dealer network to over 850 dealers by the end of the year and over 1000 dealers in the next three years.
- New dealerships part of a major undertaking by Geely Auto to upgrade its sales network with an increased focus on professional service and customer satisfaction across China.
9 September 2017, Hangzhou, China. Geely Auto Group (Geely Auto) announced the opening of 18 new dealerships to cover the Southwest China region at a ceremony held in its new flagship dealership in Guizhou. Zhejiang Geely Holding Group President and Geely Auto Group CEO, Mr. An Conghui and Geely Auto Group Vice President and Geely Sales Company General Manager, Mr. Lin Jie attended the event celebrating the opening of the new dealerships. The new dealership openings are part of a major undertaking by Geely Auto to upgrade its sales network with an increased focus on professional service and customer satisfaction across China.
Geely Auto has invested a total of 485 million RMB in the development of 18 new dealerships including 9 in Guizhou province, 7 in Sichuan province, and 2 in Yunnan province. The development of Southwest China has been part of Geely Auto’s long-term focus on regional markets. Geely Auto has a total of 108 sales partners in the region and already in the first 8 months of this year they have recorded sales of 85,600 vehicles, a 90% increase from the year before, showcasing demand for Geely vehicles in the region.
Geely dealers have generally seen a rise in profitability due to Geely’s product and brand transformation over the past two years. In a market environment where many dealers in the industry are recording a decline in profits, 65% of Geely dealers are recording an increase in profit with 95% of them seeing stable or increasing sales. By the end of August, the number of national Geely dealers has increased by 130 to a total of 750, with over 60% of the new dealers converting from existing joint venture brands. By the end of the year, Geely dealer network will reach 850 dealers and in the next three years will reach over 1,000.
The new shops are a part of Geely’s efforts to upgrade its sales and service network under the 20200 strategy where Geely aims to sell 2 million units per year by 2020. Geely is aiming to improve its China wide brand image with a refined focus on professional service and customer satisfaction. The new dealerships have been designed with customer comfort in mind and amenities to enhance the customer experience and journey from pre-sales to post sales.
The General Manager of Geely Auto Sales Company and Vice President of Geely Auto, Mr. Lin Jie said “Currently, Geely is focused on the development of a brand new customer experience throughout its sales and service network with special attention paid to increasing the overall strength and profitability of our dealers, continuously increasing the competitiveness of our products, and improving the facilities and services of our shops.”
Geely Auto plans to improve its product portfolio by launching more than 30 new models covering compacts, sedans, MPVs, SUVs, crossovers from the A0 to B segments in order to meet the demands of different consumer groups in the short term. At the same time, Geely is also implementing its “Blue Geely Initiative” with plans to offer 40 models using hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or pure electric powertrains by 2020 and become a leader in the development of new energy vehicles.
In JD Power’s 2017 China Automotive Customer Service Index, Geely received 735 points, far more than the industry average of 703 points, placing Geely at the top for customer satisfaction among Chinese brands and fourth overall. Geely was also the only Chinese brand to be included among the top ten in customer satisfaction.
President of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group and CEO of Geely Auto Group, Mr. AN Conghui said “In the mid-term, Geely Auto has plans to introduce new models, increase R&D of new products and technologies, expand our production capacity, and continue building up our sales and service network. At the same time we must further improve our economy of scale and quality of work. In order to facilitate our long-term growth, Geely Auto will continue to expand our sales channels, increase the profitability of our dealers, improve the quality of our products and services, and enhance the capability of our marketing system.”
