Geely Auto, mainland China’s second-largest carmaker by sales, has doubled down on its push to improve vehicle reliability by launching a 2 billion yuan (US$283.5 million) facility for safety tests, bucking the trend of price competition in the world’s largest automotive market.
The centre, the world’s largest of its kind, reflected Geely’s determination to prioritise safety as it resisted offering discounts amid a brutal price war, according to Jerry Gan Jiayue, CEO of the firm’s passenger car subsidiary.
“We have always aimed to exceed national and regional standards to set new benchmarks in safety, which is a benefit to everyone in the industry and consumers globally,” Gan said at the facility’s launch ceremony on Friday. “With the new Geely Safety Centre, we open a new chapter for safety in the age of intelligent vehicles.”
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The centre, located in Ningbo, in eastern China’s Zhejiang province, covers the full spectrum of car safety testing, including high-speed crash tests, battery powertrain checks, as well as cybersecurity and health-related evaluations.
A total of 27 types of tests can be conducted at the facility, which covers an area of more than 80,000 square metres.
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Chairman Li Shufu said hardware, talented engineers and sufficient data related to vehicle safety would enable Geely to design and assemble world-class vehicles to compete in the cutthroat Chinese automotive market.