Geely is one of China’s largest automakers. After achieving remarkable success in recent years, it has become a competitor to major

العلامات الشهيرة، والتي زادت من توسعها في الخارج بالاستحواذ على شركات عالمية مثل “فولفو” وامتلكت حصة في “دايملر”.

Geely’s success is largely due to the smart, ambitious leadership of its founder, billionaire Li Shufu, who was 54 years old. He began life as the son of a farmer in

China’s Zhejiang Province and worked as a photographer for foreign tourists in his youth. He later saved enough to open a camera shop, which proved highly successful and helped him

establish a small factory producing refrigerator parts with a loan from his family. After failing in several business ventures, he turned to the automotive industry.

From an early age, Shufu was known for his love of cars. He designed his first miniature model (a toy), inspired by the Red Flag cars he saw at the military airport near his hometown.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in Management Engineering from Harbin University of Science and Technology and a master’s degree in

الهندسة الميكانيكية من جامعة يانشان أسس شوفو شركة “جيلي”، والتي تعني في اللغة الصينية “محظوظ” (بتمويل عائلي)، وركزت في البداية على

manufacturing refrigerators, then motorcycles, before moving into the production of real cars.

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Geely’s real breakthrough came with a copy of the Daihatsu Charade, which was marketed in China under the Tianjin Xiali brand. It was an impressive success at the time because it was

practical and affordable for the Chinese market. But Shufu was not satisfied with this model and decided to stop selling it.

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وبعد إطلاق سيارته الأولى بنجاح فكر “شوفو” جديًا في شراء “فولفو” من “فورد موتور”، ورغم فشل الصفقة في البداية لكن الشركة الصينية

استحوذت في النهاية، على “فولفو” مقابل 1.5 مليار دولار تقريبًا، وخاضت غمار معركة طويلة لإحداث تحول إيجابي في أعمال الشركة السويدية

As a luxury carmaker, Volvo then found an unlikely leader in Li Shufu, who rescued it from the turmoil engulfing the company at the time and ushered in a period of profound change

للصانعة السويدية، حيث قفزت مبيعاتها السنوية بحوالي ربع مليون سيارة إضافية تحت الإدارة الناجحة والدعم المالي لجيلي. 

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Geely didn’t stop there. It acquired the London Taxi Company and then bought a 49% stake in Proton, Malaysia’s largest automaker, as part of its plan

to expand in the Asian market. The deal also included the acquisition of British automaker Lotus, which specializes in luxury performance cars. In 2017,

Geely acquired the U.S. company Terrafugia, which is focused on making flying cars a reality—a clear sign of Geely and its chairman’s forward-thinking vision.

لي شوفو. 

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After London Taxi, Geely continued to expand its reach under Li Shufu’s leadership and successfully acquired a 10% stake in the German automotive and truck manufacturer

الألمانية “دايملر”، والتي تمتلك “مرسيدس بنز” التي كان “شوفو” عاشقاً لسياراتها، لدرجة قيامه بأخذ سيارة مرسيدس وتفكيكها ثم إضافة منصة

ومحرك وناقل حركة من Hongqi ، لتصبح هذه أول سيارة يقوم مؤسس جيلي بتصنيعها بنفسه أو بالأحرى تجميعها، والتفاخر بها في شوارع

تشيجيانغ.

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والآن تعتبر شركة سيارات “جيلي” واحدة من أكبر صانعات السيارات غير الحكومية في الصين وتصل قيمتها السوقية إلى نحو 27 مليار دولار في

بورصة هونج كونج، ويعمل بها قرابة 42 ألف موظف، وتتجاوز مبيعاتها السنوية 13 مليار دولار، أما صاحبها ومؤسسها “شوفو”  فبلغت ثروته الحالية

$15.6 billion, making him the tenth-richest person in China.