Geely Plans to Acquire Ford’s Spanish Plant to Expand EV Production in Europe

Geely has reached an agreement with Ford Motor Company to acquire Body 3 assembly line at Ford’s Almussafes plant in Valencia, Spain. The production line will be used to manufacture a new energy vehicle based on Geely’s Global Electric Architecture (GEA), internally codenamed “135.” The GEA platform currently underpins models such as the Galaxy A7 and E5. The new model is rumored to be offered in hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and battery-electric variants. Foreign media speculate it could be the EX2—a compact electric vehicle measuring 4,135 mm long, 1,805 mm wide, and 1,570 mm tall, with a 2,650 mm wheelbase. It would feature either a 30.1 kWh or 40.1 kWh battery pack, delivering CLTC-rated ranges of 310 km and 410 km respectively, and a rear-mounted motor producing either 58 kW or 85 kW. Additionally, Ford may also develop a co-developed model based on Geely’s GEA platform—potentially as a successor to the Puma, given their similar dimensions. If realized, this collaboration could restore the Valencia plant to its pre-pandemic output levels of over 300,000 vehicles annually across five models, securing employment for its current workforce of more than 4,000 and potentially creating new jobs. In February this year, Reuters reported that Geely was in talks with Ford regarding manufacturing and technology cooperation. Ford responded by stating that it regularly explores various partnership opportunities with multiple parties but had not yet made any final decisions. A Geely Europe spokesperson declined to comment on market speculation, though industry insiders indicated the agreement is largely finalized. Previously, several Chinese automakers have advanced their European production footprints through local partnerships: Leapmotor will produce vehicles at Stellantis’ Spanish plant, while GAC Group and XPeng plan to start production at Magna’s Austrian facility. According to Reuters, FAW’s Hongqi brand is also negotiating with Stellantis to leverage its Spanish plant to expand its European operations.