02:59 04-11-2025

Geely to restart Shenyang SAIC-GM plant for clean-energy vehicles

China’s Geely Holding Group is preparing to restart production at the former SAIC-GM plant in Shenyang. Reuters reports that the facility, which previously built the Buick GL8 and Chevrolet Tracker, will be used to assemble clean-energy vehicles, including electric cars, hybrids, and methanol-powered models.

Designed for up to 500,000 cars a year, the site has been idle since February after sales of GM brands in China declined. Geely plans to bring the plant back online in line with a measured expansion strategy that favors reusing existing factories over constructing new ones. The decision also reads as a pragmatic call in a market where speed and cost discipline tend to decide who stays ahead. Geely chair Eric Li has warned that the global auto industry is facing serious overcapacity.

On the same day, Geely finalized a deal with Renault to take over a plant in Brazil, where it will produce Geely-branded vehicles for the Latin American market.

Sales are climbing: in the first nine months of 2025, Geely sold 2.95 million vehicles, up 29 percent, and its domestic market share rose to 11 percent. Demand for electrified models is growing even faster, with a 68 percent increase.