We first asked Hamilton if he could outline his UK plans for Geely in fleet?
He said: “Our focus at this present time is introducing the Geely EX5 to all our lease-cos, corporates, and fleet managers, to make sure they are aware of our vehicle.
“We’re talking through all the details and the features of the car; the technology, the quality, the safety – we’re bringing it to life. It’s about making sure they’re aware of the vehicle and have driven the vehicle as well. That’s my main and the team’s focus for the rest of this year – getting fleet partners on board and generating awareness of the car.”
We moved on to ask how Geely fits in with the wider portfolio of the company’s other car brands, and whether they were working together from a fleet perspective?
Hamilton said: “No, we are completely separate from the other brands. Geely Auto UK sits alongside the other brands which you’re aware of such as Lotus, Polestar, and Volvo.
“I am solely responsible for Geely’s fleet sales in the UK – we are not sharing any retailers, systems or processes. As we are completely standalone, we’ve been working hard to bring our dealer network online, and we’ve got more dealer sites coming.
“We launch with 25 sites, with another 25 planned before the end of the year. The dealers will provide support for fleet sales; the fleet team is made up of myself and two account managers – and we will solely be focused on Geely Auto UK fleet.”
Next, we asked if Geely planned on doing much of its UK fleet business centrally, or would instead do deals at dealer level?
Hamilton said: “We will be doing fleet business at both levels. Obviously, there’s different types of fleet customers – mine and my team’s role is to look after key corporates, to make sure relationships are strong there, and they are aware of the Geely Auto UK brand, and the vehicles as well.
“At dealer level, we will very much rely on them in terms of the SME business that’s out there.”
We then asked which fleet channels Hamilton and Geely Auto UK were focusing on with the EX5?
He said: “If you look at the Geely EX5, it’s a great car for a company car user or a salary sacrifice driver. It is a car very much for both those end users, and the team and my focus, is to really bring that car to them, making sure they are aware of it, the technology, the quality, the features and the price – because it fits both sets of drivers.”
So, how is Hamilton going to get the EX5 out to those unaware of the model and brand?
He said: “It’s very much a case of onboarding. We’ve launched now, which is great, but there’s a lot more to do. There’s a lot of experience in the team with the lease-cos and corporates, and it’s very much about bringing the car to them. So, they can have a look, get excited about the product, and be onboarded.”
Any fleet business in the UK is going to be conquest – so we asked Hamilton where he thought these buyers were going to come from?
He said: “There are naturally going to be a lot of fleet drivers looking at our vehicles, potentially already in an EV or an ICE vehicle. The quality and standard equipment will bring the drivers towards our car, when they’re looking for a new company vehicle, or salary sacrifice vehicle.”
Our final question to Hamilton was what he thought would be the key EX5 fleet spec in the UK?
He said: “The range-topping Geely EX5 Max will be a key trim line for a company car user, or salary sacrifice user. This is because of the amount of standard equipment at such a great price. That there is going to be the real pull for our fleet customers.”
