Geely raids Volkswagen for Aussie boss

Chinese auto giant Geely has raided Volkswagen Group-owned Spanish brand Cupra to head its new Australian operation.

Anoosh Saffari has outed himself on LinkedIn as the first chief operating officer for the newly established company Geely Australia.

A veteran of the local auto industry, Saffari joins Geely from Cupra Australia, where he was head of sales – a role he has held since June 2021 and in which he helped launch the brand in Australia in mid-2022.

Before that he filled multiple roles at another Volkswagen Group Australia brand, Skoda. And further back Saffari worked as general sales manager at a Volvo dealer between 2015 and 2019.

He was in a sales and marketing role at Mazda Australia between 2012 and 2015.

Saffari made no comments on his post, simply putting up a graphic of the Geely Auto group’s long list of subsidiaries including the Geely brand itself, plus Volvo, Polestar, Lotus, Proton, Lynk & Co, Smart, Zeekr and Radar.

However, when he departed Cupra, he did note: “Launching a brand from scratch is a rare opportunity that I feel privileged to have been part of.

“I’ve been told that big dreams begin with a few believers. I’m immensely proud of what our investor network, headquarters, and the CUPRA Australia/VGA team have achieved together in the last three years. I am grateful for everyone's trust and efforts in turning the dream into reality, with many more accomplishments sure to come.

“As for me, a new chapter awaits. They say lightning doesn’t strike twice…

“More to come.”

Volvo, Polestar and Lotus are well-established brands in Australia, and they will soon be joined by Smart (in August) and Zeekr (October) – two of at least a dozen Chinese auto brands set to launch in Australia by the end of next year.

Given all five pre-existing Geely-owned brands have already set up their own import and distribution structures in Australia, it seems likely Saffari’s focus will be on Geely, Radar, Galaxy and potentially Lynk & Co.

The Radar RD6 electric ute is likely to be the first model launch Saffari will oversee, but the Galaxy brand’s battery-electric E5 and plug-in hybrid L7 SUVs are also thought to be on the agenda for Australia.

Lynk & Co has stated its intention to come to Australia by 2025, but the premium brand is yet to show its hand. This could be another brand handed to Geely Australia for Saffari to manage.

But Geely itself, which carsales first reported was headed for Australia back in 2022, will likely be a significant player in the Australian auto market, with a wide spread of affordable SUVs and passenger cars that could help it become a mainstream volume brand.

carsales understands that is very much Geely Auto’s intention, in the same way that fellow Chinese brand BYD plans to become a dominant member of the Australian auto industry.

As per BYD, Geely won’t be an EV-only brand in Australia – unlike its sister marques Polestar, Zeekr, Smart, Radar and, soon, Volvo.

Geely was previously distributed locally by Western Australian car dealer John Hughes between 2011-2014.

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