I drove three Chinese cars — here’s why they would clean up in the US

It only took a little thrust successful a Zeekr 7X to person me: Chinese cars are now competitory and could beryllium sold successful the US tomorrow. The compact battery-electric crossover, a bestseller successful Europe, is aimed straight astatine the Tesla Model Y pinch its 5 seats, 2 rows, awesome roadworthy grip, energetic performance, and soft ride. Its value successful China is astir $32,000 — astir $7,000 cheaper than Elon Musk’s crossover.

If you’ve followed automotive news recently, you mightiness travel distant reasoning Chinese cars are destined for the US, pinch Geely among the champion positioned to break done first. That’s surely a anticipation — particularly aft President Donald Trump seemingly threw unfastened the doors to Chinese automakers in a caller speech. The quid pro quo: They must beryllium built successful the US. Geely recently confirmed it was “actively evaluating” a imaginable introduction into the world’s second-largest car marketplace and would person a determination wrong 3 years.

Geely is champion placed to build cars here: It has had an car works up and moving successful South Carolina since 2018, wherever it builds Volvo and Polestar vehicles. If Geely does effort to participate the US marketplace nether its ain brands, it apt won’t hap earlier 2029.

Still, climbing retired of the Zeekr 7X, I wondered — moreover if it were built successful the US — whether it could legally beryllium sold here. Will restrictions connected automotive package that originates successful China support it retired indefinitely? Or will Geely find a measurement to person the US authorities that its exertion poses nary threat to US nationalist security?

Most US drivers won’t person heard of Geely, if they deliberation astir Chinese cars astatine all. Yet past year, genitor institution Geely Holding sold much than 4.1 cardinal cars, making it China’s second-largest carmaker after BYD. It offers aggregate brands that see Volvo, Polestar, Lotus, Malaysia’s Proton, Geely, Lynk & Co, Zeekr, and others.

During CES past month, I sewage a chance for little way drives successful 3 vehicles from 3 different Geely brands. The past clip I’d driven a Chinese car was August 2020; that Xpeng P7 simply wasn’t fresh for primetime. It was 1 of only 2 cars I’ve driven wherever I could overwhelm the anti-lock brakes. But Chinese automakers innovate truthful accelerated that a 2020 Xpeng mightiness arsenic good person been from the precocious 1990s.

The Geely cars I drove would apt make beardown request present successful the US — arsenic they already do successful Mexico. That’s terrifying Detroit and European automakers alike, pinch GM CEO Mary Barra precocious sounding the alarm astir Chinese EVs coming to North America. New Chinese brands mightiness take to target thing from the debased extremity of the wide marketplace to the premium and luxury sector.

First up was the Geely Starray, a compact crossover from the group’s mass-market brand, powered by a 215-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter gasoline motor driving the beforehand wheels done a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. It had a afloat suite of ADAS information functions, including adaptive cruise power pinch stop-and-go capabilities.

The contrasting achromatic tile complete metallic overgarment suggested high-end features, and interior instrumentality — powered beforehand lumbar and leg-support bolsters connected the driver’s seat, heated and cooled beforehand seats — confirmed the impression. Interior plastics were comparable to those of Korean cars a mates of generations ago. The rear doors opened only to astir a 45-degree angle, which limits entree for larger people, babe seats, and truthful distant — overseas for a family car successful Mexico.

On the road, the Starray was pleasant enough. It accelerated smoothly to almost road speeds — the way layout didn’t let for agelong high-speed runs — and grip and roadholding were amended than expected. But it felt sluggish erstwhile driven enthusiastically, and it was hardly a rewarding driver’s car. While I wouldn’t personally bargain this one, plentifulness of value-oriented buyers apt would — astatine the correct price. In Mexico, the Starray’s guidelines value is astir $31,630 successful US currency. Our ride-along Geely rep doubly suggested it could beryllium a $25,000 car.

I switched into a Lynk & Co 09, a midsize SUV from a marque it positions successful Europe and Central America arsenic a premium offering. Described by my Geely minder arsenic a “hybrid,” it didn’t thrust for illustration one: Hard acceleration didn’t person that instant electric-motor thrust evident successful virtually immoderate modern hybrid. A mini magnitude of added powerfulness arrived aft a important lag.

It turned retired that the 09’s 2.0-liter, four-cylinder state motor was paired pinch a Volvo mild-hybrid strategy that uses a 48-volt electrical centrifugal betwixt the motor and eight-speed automatic transmission for a full output of 254hp among each 4 wheels. With a artillery of conscionable 0.2 kilowatt-hours, it adds incremental powerfulness to the engine, recovers immoderate power nether regenerative braking, and restarts the motor astatine stops. The 48-volt strategy improves substance economy, but plays a minimal domiciled successful propelling this 4,660-pound vehicle—unlike a afloat hybrid strategy operating astatine 300 volts that could powerfulness the car unsocial astatine debased speeds.

Significantly, the 09 is built connected the aforesaid SPA level arsenic the Volvo XC90 sold successful the United States from 2016 onward. Its styling is the antithesis of the traditional, reassuring Volvo look: The headlights beryllium almost connected apical of the fenders, pinch 3 lengthwise ray tubes nether the glass. The bluff beforehand end’s immense grille wraps its precocious corners astir the fender corners to clasp the remainder of the lights. The rear is much accepted SUV, pinch a horizontal ray barroom for illustration truthful galore others. Powered doorway handles springiness the sleek look of galore EVs. In Mexico, its guidelines value is $53,750 successful US dollars. In China, connected the different hand, the mild-hybrid 09 starts astatine $33,000.

The Zeekr 7X was my last trial drive, the battery-electric crossover that intelligibly has the Tesla Model Y successful its crosshairs. The 7X is built connected the Geely SEA level that besides underpins the Volvo EX30 subcompact hatchback — though its wheelbase is simply a important 4 inches longer, truthful its rear spot will clasp adult-size humans. The 100kWh artillery powers either a 416hp rear centrifugal aliases a brace of motors totaling 637hp. Our trial EV didn’t person the strongest regenerative braking successful Sport mode, and I couldn’t trial different modes successful my constricted time. The thrust value is considerably smoother than a Model Y, however, possibly owed to its curb weight of 5,313 pounds, afloat 1,000 pounds much than the Tesla.

Given caller concerns complete fully physics doorway handles, it’s worthy noting those of the 7X descent retired from a flush position. To get them to do so, you first person to find and push an adjacent information button. I recovered the seats comfortable for my peculiar build, though the interior was much accepted and “German,” pinch mostly achromatic trim — versus the caller Model Y’s stripped-down, almost Scandinavian approach. More than immoderate different conveyance connected the lot, the Zeekr 7X was the 1 reporters and Geely execs viewed arsenic a imaginable US entry. The cardinal rumor would beryllium price. In China it sells for $32,000; the value successful Mexico is astir 97,000 pesos, aliases astir $55,000.

Giovanni Lanfranchi, CEO of Zeekr Technology Europe, is based successful Gothenburg, Sweden, wherever Volvo has been based for almost 100 years. Until a restructuring past year, Volvo owned 30 percent shares of some Zeekr and Lynk & Co. Major changes followed the September 2024 Taizhou Declaration from Geely laminitis and president Li Shufu. The single-page archive demanded that each Geely R&D activities attraction connected processing each caller conveyance from shared components, not conscionable conveyance platforms but besides package architectures and exertion layers.

Lanfranchi said since then, he has been “shocked” astatine the velocity of what became “profound, extremist change” successful Geely’s R&D groups successful Gothenburg and Frankfurt, which activity broadside by broadside pinch their counterparts successful China.

Just 16 months aft the declaration, each marque already has a caller conveyance connected an wholly communal architecture. The Geely M9, Lynk & Co 900, and Zeekr 9X shown astatine CES are each built connected the SEA-S 900V long-range plug-in hybrid level announced successful July. They stock 90 percent of their components and software, Lanfranchi said — whereas earlier Zeekr models utilized platforms developed by its ain R&D group conscionable for its ain models.

Geely now plans to motorboat caller vehicles successful China and Europe simultaneously, alternatively than delaying up to a twelvemonth while a Chinese-designed conveyance is adapted to conditions successful different markets.

Earlier this year, Trump dropped a bombshell. He’d beryllium wholly good pinch Chinese automakers trading successful the US, he told the Detroit Economic Club — arsenic agelong arsenic they unfastened plants to build them successful this country.

Geely tin astir apt do truthful much easy and faster than immoderate different Chinese maker. The works successful Ridgeville, South Carolina, presently only builds Volvo and Polestar vehicles. But pinch communal platforms and identical underlying package architectures, and Volvo and Polestar migrating onto them, Lanfranchi sees “no logic not to” build group vehicles successful the Volvo factory. He stressed that specified a move was not his to make, and nary determination had been announced. But successful the end, he mused, “I deliberation it whitethorn happen.”

Michael Dunne, CEO of Dunne Insights and an master connected China’s car industry, called Geely’s US introduction “absolutely possible, likely, and probable.” The institution has agelong felt, he said, that the US would beryllium “its destiny.”

Dunne noted that Chinese EVs successful the UK, led by BYD and MG, are astir 15 percent cheaper than Japanese and Korean models. “The Chinese don’t person to beryllium scary cheap,” he said. “They conscionable request to beryllium priced debased capable to make you region — past return a person look.”

That’s precisely really German, Japanese, and past Korean makers built their businesses, on pinch features home cars didn’t offer, from smaller cars to bulletproof reliability to agelong warranties. Those countries, of course, are friends of the US — China is not.