Geely's hybrid push: over half of April sales were electric or hybrid for third month running

Geely has now sold more electrified vehicles than combustion-only cars for three consecutive months, a milestone that suggests the shift isn't a blip. In April 2026, the Chinese automaker moved 235,164 vehicles, of which 135,591 — roughly 57.6% — were fully electric or hybrid. That's an 8% rise in EV and hybrid demand year-on-year, and 6.5% up on March alone.

The numbers

The Geely group spans several brands, and all of them contributed to April's tally. The core Geely label (including the Galaxy sub-brand) accounted for 180,622 sales. Premium brand Lynk & Co added 22,755. Electric-focused Zeekr delivered 31,787 units. The Galaxy series alone hit 91,001 sales — 10% higher than March — suggesting the bet on affordable but tech-heavy hybrids is paying off.

Financially, Geely reported Q1 2026 revenue of 83.78 billion yuan (around $11.7 billion), up 15% year-on-year. Core net profit climbed 31% to 4.56 billion yuan. Those margins give the company room to price aggressively — the Geely Preface i-HEV hybrid sedan starts at roughly $15,000 in China, and the Monjaro L i-HEV crossover at around $20,000.

What this means outside China

Exports are the more striking story for UK and US observers. Geely Automobile Holdings shipped 83,186 vehicles abroad in April — up 245% year-on-year — extending a run of triple-digit export growth to four consecutive months. Over Q1 as a whole, exports hit 203,024 units (up 126%), with NEV exports specifically surging 572% year-on-year.

The EX5 and Starray EM-i are already on sale across five EU markets — Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg — following a March 2026 launch. In the UK, the EX5 arrived in October 2025, with Geely targeting 100,000 annual UK sales by 2030.

The newly launched Galaxy M7 — unveiled at Milan in February 2026 and pitched as a "global model" — officially went on sale in China on April 28, collecting over 10,000 orders in the first 12 hours at a starting price of 109,800 yuan (around $16,060). No UK or EU pricing or timeline has been confirmed; European i-HEV exports are currently planned for Q4 2026 at the earliest.

The competitive angle

Geely's hybrid-heavy strategy sets it apart from BYD, which leans almost exclusively on pure EVs. By offering hybrids that eliminate range anxiety at combustion-engine price points, Geely is competing directly with Toyota and, increasingly, mainstream European brands. Whether that pricing survives import tariffs on the journey to UK and EU forecourts remains the central question for shoppers here.