Break out the ‘Handling by Lotus’ badges: Geely is finally coming to the UK

Geely is coming to the UK! Well, it was already here as the overlord of Lotus, Volvo, Polestar, Smart, LEVC and so on. But now it’s actually coming to the UK as Geely this time!

Geely Auto, which is a subsidiary of the big boss Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, has now created a UK distributor that it's calling Geely Auto UK. Not confusing at all, is it?

Anyway, Geely Auto UK will kick things off on our shores with sales of the Geely EX5, an all-electric SUV/crossover thing that was first unveiled back in 2024 and is already on sale in China, Australia, Thailand and Indonesia.

The car that us Brits eventually drive might just be a little bit different to those in the rest of the world, though, because Geely has commissioned a "chassis and dynamics assessment" by Lotus Engineering.

“We know the Geely EX5 is a great product with several core features that will appeal to a British audience. That’s why we chose it to be our first passenger car for sale in the UK. However, we’re aware that UK customers have unique demands,” said Geely Auto UK boss Mike Yang.

“For that reason, before we release the car for sale, we’re working with the experts at Lotus Engineering to make sure we have a car that’s in line with expectations. Lotus Engineering has a formidable track record along with some of the best R&D resources, so we’re delighted to be working closely with them.”

Yep, it’s time to dust off those ‘Handling by Lotus’ badges from the Isuzu Piazza and the Proton Satria GTi. We’re told the Lotus Engineering wizards completed a “comprehensive evaluation” of the EX5 and that their report will be “a strong foundation for any future tuning of the Geely EX5 tailored to European roads”.

There’s no word on how much the EX5 will cost when it does officially go on sale here, but we do know from other markets that it’ll get a single-motor, front-wheel drive setup with either a 49.52 or 60.22kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery. Expect the latter to get somewhere just north of 250 miles of WLTP range.

Geely said the creation of this new distributor in the UK begins its “commitment to delivering a diverse range of high-quality, accessible vehicles tailored for the UK”. What do you want to see next?