11 February 2014, Ningbo. Geely Holding Group today announced that the Geely Emgrand has been nominated as the official vehicle for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) informal leadership meeting, set to be held in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, in February 2014. Geely Auto has delivered 45 Emgrand vehicles to the organiser. The gathering, which is APEC’s first senior official meeting of 2014, will be the largest international event ever to have been held in the city. This year marks the first time that an indigenous Chinese brand has been nominated as the official vehicle sponsor of an APEC meeting. The London Taxi Company, a subsidiary of Geely Holding Group, will also maintain a presence around the conference with its London TX4 taxis.
Hong Jiaxiang, deputy mayor of Ningbo, said at the delivery ceremony:”This meeting will contribute to the development of the local economy in Ningbo, deepen the process of reform and opening up, and further shape Ningbo’s status as an international city. As the leading auto enterprise in China, Geely Auto has a close partnership with the city of Ningbo. Geely Auto’s Beilun manufacturing base produces significant quantities of automobiles, gearboxes and engines in the local area, and the company has been named one of Ningbo’s ‘Excellent Private Enterprises’.”
“Geely Group would like to thank the organisers for this great opportunity.” said Victor Yang, public relations director at Geely Holding Group. “The Geely Emgrand, along with the Chinese automotive manufacturing standards it represents, has come a long way in recent years and is now well established in the marketplace. We hope that the senior officials’ meeting can serve to display the confidence and strength in the Chinese private sector and among Chinese brands. We aim to provide attendees from across the world with a superior level of service during their stay here.”
The Geely Emgrand, a flagship Geely Auto series, was launched in 2009, and has since generated total sales in excess of 500,000 units. It also became the first indigenous Chinese auto series to sell an average of 20,000 units per month. All Emgrand models have been awarded China New Car Assessment Programme (C-NCAP) five-star safety accreditation, and the Emgrand EC7 has been awarded a four-star European New Car Assessment Programme (E-NCAP) rating.
Established in 1989, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a forum for 21 member economies in the Pacific Rim that seeks to promote economic cooperation, trade and investment throughout the Asia Pacific. In 2014, China will host the APEC Informal Leadership Meeting and other related meetings for the first time since 2001. APEC’s nomination of the Geely Emgrand as the official vehicle for this year’s informal leadership meeting is a testament to the vibrant development of the Chinese automotive industry and the rising status of indigenous Chinese brands.