Geely Auto Pakistan Launch Explained: EX2, EX5 and Starray EM-i, the Port Qasim Plant and What It Means for South Asia's EV Market
Image: Wikimedia Commons / JustAnotherCarDesigner, CC0 — the Geely Galaxy E5, sold outside China as the Geely EX5, in a front three-quarter view. This is the actual EX5, the electric SUV in Pakistan's launch line-up.
📌 KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- The news: Bestway Group launched Geely Auto in Pakistan at its 24 October launch event, reported on 25 October 2026. Bestway Automotive is Geely's sole authorised distributor in the country.
- The three models: the EX2 compact electric hatchback, the EX5 electric SUV and the Starray EM-i plug-in hybrid SUV.
- The plant: Bestway has acquired the former Proton plant at Port Qasim, Karachi — 24.71 acres, over 403,000 sq ft covered, existing capacity of 25,000 vehicles a year — for local CKD assembly from next year.
- The ownership pitch: a proposed warranty of up to six years/150,000 km on the vehicle and eight years on battery and motor, online booking, financing through UBL and a nationwide EV charging network.
- The caveat: no prices, booking dates or final Pakistan specifications have been announced — everything about the cars' local trims is still to come.
What happened?
Bestway Group, the London-founded conglomerate behind Bestway Cement and a major stake in United Bank Limited (UBL), has entered Pakistan's car market by launching Geely Auto, one of China's biggest carmakers. Bestway Automotive, its auto arm, will handle sales and after-sales service as Geely's sole authorised distributor. The group says it has invested more than $350 million in Pakistan and created 20,000 jobs in the last three years, and describes the auto move as a strategic extension of that portfolio.
Geely Auto International vice president Evin Ye said Pakistan is Geely's first market in South Asia, adding that Geely is the only carmaker with its own low-orbit satellite network. Geely Holding, founded in 1986, sold about 4.12 million vehicles globally in 2025, of which 2.29 million (56%) were new-energy vehicles, and owns Volvo Cars, Polestar, Lotus, Zeekr and Lynk & Co.
Geely Auto Pakistan launch EX2 EX5 Starray EM-i explained: the three models
The launch line-up covers the three segments Pakistan's EV buyers actually shop in: a small city car, a family SUV and a hybrid for buyers not ready to go fully electric. All three will initially be sold as imported units while Bestway prepares the Port Qasim plant.
| Model | Type | What we know |
|---|---|---|
| Geely EX2 | Compact electric hatchback | City-focused EV; Pakistan specs and price unannounced |
| Geely EX5 | Electric SUV | Geely's global EV SUV (Galaxy E5 in China); 49.52/60.22 kWh batteries and 440/530 km CLTC range in global spec — Pakistan spec unconfirmed |
| Starray EM-i | Plug-in hybrid SUV | Known as Starship 7 EM-i in China; Dawn describes range-extended EV technology; Pakistan spec unconfirmed |
The EX5 is the best-known of the three: Geely's first global new-energy model, built on the GEA platform with the Aegis Short Blade LFP battery, already sold across Australia, Europe, Southeast Asia and the Middle East — and as the Proton eMas 7 in Malaysia, where Proton (a Geely subsidiary since 2017) co-developed it. What remains unknown is which battery and trim combinations Bestway picks for Pakistan, and at what price.
Image: Geely (official press image via PR Newswire) — the EX5 on display at its global unveil event.
The Port Qasim plant and the charging plan
The most concrete part of the announcement is industrial, not automotive. Bestway has acquired the Proton plant at Port Qasim, Karachi — a 24.71-acre site with more than 403,000 sq ft of covered space and existing capacity to assemble up to 25,000 vehicles a year — and aims to have locally assembled Geely vehicles on Pakistani roads next year. Cars will first arrive as fully imported units, then switch to completely knocked-down (CKD) assembly at the plant. Port Qasim is Pakistan's auto-manufacturing hub, home to around 80% of the country's automotive industry, so the location plugs Geely straight into the existing supplier and logistics base.
On ownership, Bestway plans a nationwide dealership network, online booking, financing through UBL, and a countrywide EV charging network built by Bestway Renewable Technologies — backed by Bestway Cement's 115 MW of captive solar capacity. The proposed warranty — up to six years or 150,000 km on the vehicle and eight years on the battery and motor — is generous by Pakistan's market standards, if it holds when final terms are published. The context is a recovering market: Pakistan's passenger car sales reached 155,631 units in FY2026, up 39% year on year.
Why it matters for World readers — and what it signals for South Asia
Pakistan is the latest stop in a much bigger Chinese EV export push. Geely's playbook — enter with imports, then localise assembly, then build charging — is the same one it has used in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, and the same one rival BYD is running across the region. For South Asia, the interesting question is whether Pakistan's combination of local assembly plus a solar-backed charging network can solve the two problems that have held back EV adoption there: high import prices and thin charging infrastructure. If CKD assembly brings prices down, Geely's small EX2 hatchback could become the country's first mass-market EV — but that depends entirely on pricing Bestway has not yet revealed.
For readers in India, the direct relevance is as a regional signal, not a product announcement: this launch covers Pakistan only, and no India launch has been announced alongside it. But the pattern is worth watching — Chinese brands are now entering every South Asian market with local assembly plans, and India's own EV market, covered in our Denza D9 India launch coverage, is part of the same regional contest. Geely's satellite-network pitch also echoes China's Long March 8A Guowang satellite launch, which is building the constellation Geely's cars are designed to use.
Should you care?
FAQs
When can people in Pakistan buy a Geely?
No booking date has been announced. Bestway says cars will initially be sold as imports, with locally assembled vehicles aimed for next year; prices and booking dates will be announced through official channels.
How much will the EX2, EX5 and Starray EM-i cost in Pakistan?
Prices are not announced yet. Do not trust social-media price lists: Bestway has explicitly said pricing, booking dates and final specifications are still to come.
What warranty and charging will Geely offer in Pakistan?
Bestway has proposed up to six years/150,000 km on the vehicle and eight years on the battery and motor, with online booking, UBL financing and a nationwide charging network via Bestway Renewable Technologies. Final terms await confirmation.
Is Geely launching in India too?
No India launch was announced with this one — Pakistan is Geely's first South Asia market. Indian readers should treat this as a regional signal about Chinese EV expansion, not as an India product announcement.
Takeaway: Geely's Pakistan entry is a factory-and-charging-network story first and a car story second — the launch gives Pakistan three new EVs, but prices and local assembly next year will decide whether it changes the market.
Follow World Tech on TechByCountry for tomorrow's update.
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Sources
- Dawn — Bestway launches Geely Auto in Pakistan (25 Oct 2026)
- Aaj English TV — Geely enters Pakistan through Bestway Group, unveils three NEVs
- Business Recorder — Geely enters Pakistan through Bestway Group, unveils three NEVs
- BizTimes — Geely Enters Pakistan Through Bestway Group, Unveils Three NEVs
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