Geely has stopped being coy. The idea of using Volvo's European plants to build its own cars has moved from boardroom chatter to an actual calendar date: mass production of premium models across the Geely Automobile ecosystem is now set to begin in 2028. The exact site and the models involved haven't been named yet — and that's precisely what's left hanging over the whole project.
According to Jiemian, the timeline came from An Conghui during Geely Automobile's interim results conference. He said Volvo's European plants are set to become a key production base for the group's premium models.
Back in spring, the language was far more cautious. In March, Geely founder Li Shufu and Volvo Cars CEO Håkan Samuelsson talked about tapping spare capacity at Volvo's plants in Sweden, Belgium and Slovakia — but without a single concrete launch date. Now there's a target: 2028.
And one of those plants is already being prepped for the role, on paper at least. In its second-quarter 2026 report, Volvo Cars stated outright that boosting utilization at its Ghent plant in Belgium could include contract assembly for other brands. Beyond Ghent and Sweden's Torslanda, Volvo is also building a new plant in Kosice — and current job listings point to production launching in Slovakia in 2027.
This isn't Geely's only European move, either. In July, the company struck a deal with Ford for a joint venture at the Valencia plant. Starting in 2028, two electric Geely SUVs are due to roll off the line there; Geely will hold 34% of the venture, with Ford keeping 66%.
All told, 2028 is shaping up to be Geely's big localization moment in Europe — arriving on two fronts at once, through the Ford plant and through Volvo's production system. The approach lets Geely tap capacity that already exists instead of building several new factories from scratch.
It's not out of the question that Zeekr and Lynk & Co models could end up at Volvo's plants, including the Zeekr 9X, a future 8X, or the Lynk & Co 900. But Geely hasn't disclosed specific brands, models, a plant, or production volumes yet. The next thing to watch is the actual production program — without it, talk of European assembly for any specific Zeekr or Lynk & Co model is premature.
