BEIJING, March 30 (Reuters) - Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, China's biggest private car maker, said on Tuesday it will not produce Volvo brand cars, nor will Volvo make Geely brand cars, following Geely's planned purchase of Volvo from Ford.
'Volvo comes from Northern Europe and is rooted in Sweden. Volvo will not be Volvo any more if taken out of the soil,' Geely Chairman Li Shufu said, after returning from Sweden where his company agreed to pay $1.8 billion for Volvo.
'The relations between Geely and Volvo in the future will be like brothers, not father and son,' he said.
Geely, which means auspicious or lucky in Chinese, is counting heavily on its home China market to revive the money-losing Volvo brand, with plans to double the Swedish company's production by building a major new plant in China.
Owning a global brand like Volvo will also give Geely a chance to build up its profile in China, where it is known more for small, inexpensive cars, and to catch up with bigger state-owned rivals that have partnered with the likes of GM and Volkswagen.
($=6.825 yuan)
(Reporting by Michael Wei and Jacqueline Wong)
((michael.wei@thomsonreuters.com; +8610 6627 1003; Reuters Messaging: michael.wei.reuters.com@reuters.net)) Keywords: GEELY CHINA/ (If you have a query or comment on this story, send an email to news.feedback.asia@thomsonreuters.com) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
'Volvo comes from Northern Europe and is rooted in Sweden. Volvo will not be Volvo any more if taken out of the soil,' Geely Chairman Li Shufu said, after returning from Sweden where his company agreed to pay $1.8 billion for Volvo.
'The relations between Geely and Volvo in the future will be like brothers, not father and son,' he said.
Geely, which means auspicious or lucky in Chinese, is counting heavily on its home China market to revive the money-losing Volvo brand, with plans to double the Swedish company's production by building a major new plant in China.
Owning a global brand like Volvo will also give Geely a chance to build up its profile in China, where it is known more for small, inexpensive cars, and to catch up with bigger state-owned rivals that have partnered with the likes of GM and Volkswagen.
($=6.825 yuan)
(Reporting by Michael Wei and Jacqueline Wong)
((michael.wei@thomsonreuters.com; +8610 6627 1003; Reuters Messaging: michael.wei.reuters.com@reuters.net)) Keywords: GEELY CHINA/ (If you have a query or comment on this story, send an email to news.feedback.asia@thomsonreuters.com) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.