Auto industry pulls out stops to tackle slumping sales

Carmakers explore overseas

Geely helped carmaker Proton to produce its popular X70 SUV in Malaysia in December.

Geely acquired a 49.9 percent of the struggling company in 2017 and has since injected money and technology. Founded in 1983, Proton has reported losses for years and had resorted to state aid for survival. Proton said it could return to profit this year after years of losses, driven by new product launches and aggressive cost-cutting under joint management with Geely.

In June, Chinese carmaker Great Wall Motors kicked off its first overseas plant in Russia. Its total investment exceeded $500 million, and production capacity of the manufacturing lines will be 150,000 annually.

Great Wall Motors said the plant will serve local demands and work as a base for its foray into Eastern European markets, including the adjacent countries of Belarus and Ukraine. The carmaker said it would like to produce vehicles of other Chinese brands as well.