China's February auto market was expected to be difficult after the long Spring Festival holiday and demand pulled forward by trade-in policy in January.

Competition in the premium MPV segment is intense, with no shortage of contenders. Yet most remain constrained by three enduring forces: brand premium, rigid product definitions and narrowly defined usage scenarios. In a market shaped by homogeneity, the industry may be in need of a genuinely different challenger. The question is whether the Geely Galaxy V900 could play that role.

 A recent incident involving a parked Zeekr 009 in a residential area in Shanghai has drawn attention to smart-car safety and remote parking functions. 

Zeekr 009 has broken into China's luxury MPV market without relying on Huawei-backed branding or a celebrity executive persona.  

Geely's assisted-driving strategy is moving from internal ambition to formal structure. Zeekr, Geely Afari Smart Driving Smart Driving and other shareholders have established Geely Afari Smart Driving with registered capital of about $1 million.

Lotus used the launch of the updated EMEYA and ELETRE models on September 21 to make a broader argument about the auto industry.  

Geely Galaxy M9 launched on September 17 as a six-seat extended-range SUV priced from about $24,000 to $33,000.  

Geely is moving to consolidate its intelligent-driving resources, bringing teams from brands including Zeekr into Chongqing G-ASD Intelligent Driving and creating a group that could approach 3,000 people.  

Geely Auto Group will launch five new intelligent hybrid products in the second half of 2025 as it pushes toward an annual sales target of 3mn vehicles, chief executive Gan Jiayue said at the company's mid-year operating meeting on July 30.

Geely's agreement to privatise Zeekr in a deal valued at about $2.4bn has triggered debate over whether the move is a strategic consolidation or a retreat from overseas capital markets. The timing suggests it is more than a simple delisting.