In 2024, Geely announced that it was setting out to restructure its vehicle businesses in a bid to reduce redundancy and enhance the competitiveness of its brands, and one of the major moves of the “One Geely” initiative was the consolidation of Zeekr and Lynk & Co, with the process being completed in February last year.
The idea behind the integration is of course to ensure a better management of resources and lower operating costs, with the ambition being to have the group’s brands working towards integrating their office operations to create a cohesive international business team and a unified sales company. Aside from Europe, specific market operations will eventually follow a “one market, one strategy” approach, tailoring rules and strategies to align with local consumer preferences and market characteristics.
The policy is now starting to make its way to global markets. In Thailand, the automaker has set up a company that will oversee certain business aspects for the three brands it has in the country, Autolifethailand reports. Prior to this, Geely, Zeekr and Riddara operated independent of each other, with the latter duo being run by the parent company in China, and the Geely business managed through appointed official importer and distributor Thonburi Neustern.
On January 1, 2026, Geely’s new company, managed directly from China, became the unifying point. While the business aspect with Thonburi Neustern will remain unchanged, the parent company will become more involved in Thailand, focusing on branding management, after-sales service and product launch plans in the country, the news report revealed.
As part of the move, Zeekr Thailand will have its name changed to Geely Auto Thailand sometime in the second half of this year, and it was stated that there will be less product positioning duplication in the future, with Geely set to sell vehicles priced below one million Baht, and Zeekr retailing vehicles priced above one million Baht. No plans have been revealed for Riddara at this point.
Aside from the confirmation that Lynk & Co will not enter the Thai market due to overlapping products with Zeekr, the automaker also indicated that it is mulling plans to set up a car assembly plant in the country.
“There are several options for investing in a car assembly plant in Thailand, including investment by the parent company or outsourcing assembly to a local plant. The final decision will depend on the government’s policies in attracting investment to entrepreneurs,” said Alex Bao, MD for Southeast Asia, Zeekr Thailand. As part of the new direction, Bao will become the MD and GM of Geely Auto Thailand, where he will be responsible for the Geely and Zeekr brands in the country.
The mention of a Geely assembly plant, which would also presumably include Zeekr in the picture should it take shape, in Thailand does raise the question – yet again – about Proton’s role in the grand scheme of things, in this case its role as the right-hand drive production hub for the region.
Back in 2017, which probably sounds like a lifetime away now, the automaker had indicated that Proton would be its RHD assembly arm for the region. Never mind Indonesia, but the likelihood of a RHD Geely facility coming up right next door does sound like that intention is well and truly buried.
