Geely expands design leadership

Former Chang An design director Chen Zheng has been brought in by Geely Automobile Group to serve as VP of design. He will split his time between Shanghai and Italy, presumably leading operations at the automaker’s new studio in Milan. It is worth noting that Zheng’s role is not global and Stefan Sielaff remains VP of Global Design at Geely Auto Group.

Italy is familiar territory for Zheng, who has spent many years in the country and was involved in establishing the Chang An European R&D Center in Turin, a process that he told CDN in 2019 was “very challenging, but yet very fulfilling.” An articulate, passionate designer, Zheng was installed as the face of the Chang An brand back in 2019 and will no doubt be put forward for similar duties at Geely in Europe. He cites Apple’s Steve Jobs and Jonny Ive as inspiring figures during his career, helping to steer him down the path of human-oriented design.

It is a busy time for Geely; alongside the new studio and expanded design leadership team, the brand also recently launched a new series of high-end electrified vehicles at an event in Hangzhou. These included the first car from the Geely Galaxy range, the Galaxy L7 PHEV SUV, alongside a striking new EV concept called the “Galaxy Light” (both shown in the gallery above).

Zheng says the concept car in particular is ”a significant turning point for Geely design and for Chinese car design.”