Ford and Geely in talks for manufacturing, technology partnership, sources say

February 4, 2026 – 11:55 AM

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Ford

and Geely discuss using

Ford

‘s European factory space

More automakers are seeking out partnerships to defray costs

Talks between Geely and Ford have been underway for months, said five of the sources, who declined to be named because the discussions are private and ongoing. Reuters could not determine the full scope of the talks or if they would result in a deal, including for the U.S. market.

‘Humbling’ Chinese technology

In an interview at the Aspen Ideas Festival last year, Farley called China’s global lead in electric vehicles and connected-vehicle technology “the most humbling thing I have ever seen.”

He also responded to questions about whether U.S. President Donald Trump would nix a potential joint venture between Ford and a Chinese automaker.

“I don’t think so,” Farley said. “I think as long as it has the right guardrails and we think about it the right way, no, I’ve found openness throughout the government to do this, because I think they know it’s required.”

Several Chinese carmakers have made moves to set up production in Europe. Vehicles from Chinese automaker Leapmotor will be built at a Stellantis plant in Spain as part of a joint venture. Suppliers are also striking similar agreements, with China’s Guangzhou Automobile Group and Xpeng building an electric model at a Magna International facility in Austria.

Geely has partnered with Renault in South Korea and Brazil to jointly produce and sell cars built on Geely technologies using the French automaker’s factories and sales network. The strategy appears to be paying off, as Renault-branded car sales outside Europe rose 11% in 2025 from a year earlier, compared with a 0.6% decline in 2024.

Growing focus on partnerships

Farley has also been outspoken about the need for partnerships and the automaker recently forged an EV production deal in Europe with Renault.

With proposed rules drafted under the Biden administration, the U.S. Department of Commerce banned using communication technology and services from China and other “adversary” countries in connected vehicles sold and used in the U.S. due to “national security” concerns.

The Trump administration recently pushed out Elizabeth “Liz” Cannon, a Commerce Department official whose office led the effort to bar Chinese cars and technologies from the U.S. market, Reuters reported in January.

Those rules remain in place and the Trump administration so far has not signaled that it intends to modify them. Trump last month reiterated that he would welcome a Chinese automaker that wants to build cars on U.S. soil if it brought investment and jobs.

Under founder Li Shufu, Geely has also been an active dealmaker in seeking out foreign partners. Geely bought Volvo from Ford in 2010 for $1.8 billion.

Last week, the Financial Times reported that Ford and Xiaomi held talks over a partnership that would have allowed Xiaomi to manufacture EVs in the U.S., citing people familiar with the matter. Ford and Xiaomi have both said the report was inaccurate.