Automotive Author：Qasim Khan Editor：Luke Sheehan Sep 25, 2020 09:30 AM (GMT+8)

Geely is trying to step up its EV department as competition gets tougher.

Image credit: EqualOcean

Geely's Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) will be able to support small as well as large vehicles, including sedans, SUVs, vans and pickup trucks, Geely's president An Conghui said at an event in Beijing. Simultaneously, Lynk&Co's ZERO, the first pure electric luxury coupe concept car based on SEA, made its public debut for the first time and will be mass-produced and launched in 2021.

An said Geely, which has a 9.7% stake in Daimler AG, spent CNY 18 billion on R&D for SEA. SEA uses more aluminum to make vehicles lighter and a front steering system for steady driving.

In terms of autonomous driving, An said that "SEA already can meet fully automated driving, adopting advanced assisted driving, highly automated driving and fully automated driving technical routes."

Geely, which sold more than 2 million vehicles last year, will develop vehicles based on the SEA architecture under nine brands, including Geely, Volvo, Smart and Lynk & Co.