Geely Automobile was the first independent automobile manufacturer in the People's Republic of China, beginning in 1998, having acquired a minivan maker's licence. Geely started in 1986 as a manufacturer of refrigerators and by 1992, motorcycle parts. In 1994, Geely began manufacturing motorcycles. By 1996, Geely had produced over 200,000 motorcycles and scooters. The parent company is Geely Holding Group.

The company sold 96,000 vehicles in 2004, 4% of the domestic market, and hopes to reach 1,000,000 by 2010. Geely's chairman and founder, Li Shufu, wants to sell two-thirds of the company's output overseas, though he is noncommittal on when that could happen. In a March 2005 forum held in Beijing, he was quoted as saying:

We must make cars like people from Wenzhou make [a quarter of the world's] lighters. But developing a car industry is like growing one tree slowly to cover a whole forest.
Geely is reportedly cooperating with Daewoo International, Maggiora and Rücker.

Geely made its first foreign incursion by being one of the first Chinese automakers present at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2005. The company presented the entirety of their passenger model lineup with the Haoqing and Meirie hatchbacks, Uliou and Free Cruiser sedans and Beauty Leopard coupé. Geely are expected to begin mass sales in Europe in 2007, and are currently re-engineering their cars to meet Euro IV emission and Euro NCAP crash-test regulations. So far, the only European distributor interested in marketing the brand is SHA, former representative of SEAT in Portugal, who is planning to distribute Geely in the Iberian Peninsula.

Geely scooters are approved for import into the United States, and are quite popular. The company aims to become the first Chinese automaker to export cars to the United States. Geely will show a 7151CK sedan at the 2006 North American International Auto Show in January. This will be the first time a Chinese car is shown at an American auto show and is a prelude to sales in North America. The company has already set up an American distributor, Geely USA, and plans to begin selling cars in Puerto Rico in 2007. If this is successful, the company may begin selling cars in the United States the following year.