Enterprise is the energetic source of innovations. Geely has transformed itself from a mechanical manufacturer to creative manufacturer, changed the conventional image of low-end domestic car brands and enhanced its premium ability. The efforts made by Geely represent the transformation of Zhejiang Province towards an innovation-driven economy throughout 2012.

Entering Geely's research institute located in Linjiang industrial center, you are greeted with a public library in entrance hall, stacked neatly with books and brochures on Geely automobile technology and product development procedure. Employees usually are spotted discussing together in the library. It is a "dream building factory" of Geely and where the strategy of "making the safest, most environment-friendly and most efficient cars" is deployed.

The research institute, which has always serviced the company as an unsung hero, has become noticed by the outside world for a newly won award. Recently, Geely's "Automobile Safety Technology Research and Industrialization" program was awarded the first prize of 2012 China Automobile Industry Scientific and Technical Award, which is the top award in China's automobile industry.

China's automobile industry has abandoned the price competition strategy and devoted itself to achieving breakthroughs in technology so as to survive in the fierce competition. With a thorough understanding of current situation in the auto industry, Geely finally determines to approach the technical transformation by overcoming safety bottlenecks. 

Automobile safety is not only complicated but also systematical. In 2006, amid the establishment of China-New Car Assessment Program (C-NCAP), the safety level of Geely CK was rated two stars in a crash test. Moreover, there is another challenge to raise safety level of Chinese brand cars: brand positioning entails a strict control of cost while development of high-end safety technology inevitably results from a great amount of dollars.

Geely has risen to the challenge through its tireless efforts. For example, by the creative tailored blank laser welding technology, it raises the safety level with no increase costs of materials. By the unique Blow-out Monitoring and Control System (BMCS), Geely has successfully minimized the risk of uncontrolled driving caused by blow-out. In the field of safety technology alone, Geely has produced more than 400 patents. All these innovations were integrated into the Gleagle GX7 which was launched last year. In the last year's C-NCAP test, the GX7 was awarded the highest rating, five-plus stars. And up to now, it is the only Chinese homegrown model which won such an honor.

Besides its independent R&D and innovation, Geely's takeover of Volvo has also contributed greatly to its development of innovation capacity. Lately, they have signed three technical cooperation agreements, mainly involving platform upgrading for mid-level cars, in-car air quality control technology, and automobile safety technology. And this marks further cooperation between the two parties after the previous technology transfer agreement concluded earlier.

At present, Geely annually invests 10 percent of its revenue into technological R&D and innovation. Such continuous investment in turn has directly boosted its sales performance. With the leading Emgrand, Englon and Gleagle, Geely sold a total of 486,000 cars last year, attaining a year-on-year growth of 15 percent, among which more than 100,000 cars were sold abroad, up 164 percent over year-ago.