Chinese automaker Geely has announced its entry into the Irish market.
The company said it expects to start selling cars to Irish customers in the first three months of next year.
Hangzhou-headquartered conglomerate is planning to introduce three new EV models.
Geely Auto Ireland is planning to open its Dublin headquarters later this month, with work on dealing network underway.
Phil Eaglesfield, Chief Commercial Officer at Geely Auto Ireland said their ambition is “to bring Irish motorists a fresh alternative”.
The annoucement comes as Chinese car manufacturers continue to expand in Europe and Ireland, amid a global shift towards electric vehicles.
So far this, year a little over 10,000 cars registered in Ireland – or 8.3% of all new market – were made by Chinese-owned companies.
Founded in 1997, Geely has established itself in Europe through owning traditional brands like Lotus, Volvo, Polestar, as well as 50% of Smart.
Through all these brands, Geely has become the biggest Chinese carmaker in Europe, accounting for 3.1% of total registrations on the continent in January-August.
The company sold over three million cars globally last year, a jump of 39% year-on-year.
The expansion of Chinese brands like Geely, BYD and Leapmotor into Europe stoked trade tensions between Brussels and Beijing, including a row over EU tariffs on Chinese-made EVs.
The European Union recently announced a deal with China to curb imports of Chinese hybrid vehicles into the bloc.
The European Commission has maintained that Chinese EV manufacturers have been “unfairly subsidised” by Beijing.
According to Brussels, it is causing threat of “economic injury” to European producers.
It comes as Europe’s largest carmaker, Volkswagen, plans to layoff up too 100,000 workers and possibly shut down up to four of its German-based factories.
