Chinese carmaker Geely has extended its strategic collaboration agreement with energy major Shell that will go beyond just lubricants, at the sidelines of the recently concluded Sino-Euro tour.
The ‘Challenge 100 Degrees - Geely Goes Global, Powered by Shell’ European tour, where Geely’s fleet of 100 Bo Yue- SUVs begin its journey Xi’an, China travelling for a month crossing 58 cities in 9 countries.
Geely states the new cooperation agreement represents its active participation in global market, sharing of strategic opportunities on the ‘One Belt and One Road’ and acceleration of the company's goal to become a top ten global automaker.
The carmaker says that the team faced difficult road conditions and travelled 108 degrees of longitude through three different climate zones to complete the unprecedented journey. The ‘Challenge 100 Degrees’ tour demonstrated the Bo Yue's ability to travel across the globe, and the car's quality, craftsmanship, and character to the world, as well as the strength of Chinese auto brands.
Geely’s Bo Yue has sold more than 500,000 units within 25 months of its launch, topping the SUV sales charts in China. For the tour, the Bo Yue was tested in the Shell Technology Centre Hamburg, competed in the motorsports at the Nurburgring track, and in Goodwood conducted off-road test drives.
In 2018, Geely plans to set up a new design studio in the UK to support Lotus as well as a new R&D centre in Europe that will become part of an innovative development system consisting of five major R&D centres and five major design studios around the world.