Geely has revealed a huge jump in its export target for 2026, pumping up the volume from 640,000 vehicles to 920,000 as it tries to compensate for a drop in demand in China.

The new number, revealed in an interim results briefing earlier this week, represents a 119 per cent leap from the 420,097 units exported last year, and a 44 per cent increase compared with the previous target for 2026. 

Mint-green SUV parked on a paved driveway in front of a modern stone building with large glass windows, side view mirror visible on the near side.
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Geely – which controls Zeekr, Volvo, Polestar and Lotus – also unveiled its key markets for the second half of the year. Asia-Pacific has been tagged as a 100,000-vehicle market, with ASEAN at 300,000 vehicles and Africa, Pan-Europe, Eastern Europe and Latin America each coming in at 200,000. 

The announcement follows a 157.6 per cent year-on-year leap for the manufacturer’s exports in the first half of 2026 as it sent 474,228 vehicles to overseas markets. July saw Geely set a new monthly exports record with 106,663 vehicles shipped. However, its numbers in China fell 22.6 per cent in the first half of this year.

Geely Group chairman Li Shufu brought up the spectre of rapidly changing tariffs when he said the aggressive increase in planned exports is due to the world “undergoing a historic shift toward de-globalisation”. That shift has also seen Geely expand its production outside China with initiatives like its groundbreaking partnership with Ford to use the US giant’s plant in Spain. 

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Australia has been a happy hunting ground for the group, with Geely sales up nearly 500 per cent year-on-year so far in 2026, making it the fastest-growing brand in the country. That massive surge has been led by the Geely EX5 electric mid-size SUV. Sales of the model this June were up 455 per cent compared with where they were in January.

The Geely EX2 electric hatch, China’s best-selling car, was approved for the Aussie market by the federal government in June. The rival to cars like the MG4 Urgan and BYD Dolphin will come down under with two powertrain options: a 60kW motor in the entry-level model and an 85kW motor for the rest of the range.