A practical, no-marketing-fluff guide for dealers and fleet buyers. Covers sourcing channels, shipping modes, documentation, payment terms, typical landed costs, and the mistakes first-timers reliably make.
If you're a dealer outside China looking at Geely, Zeekr, or Chinese EVs more broadly, you've probably had the same thought: how hard can it be to import these yourself? Short answer: not hard if you know what you're doing, painful if you don't. This guide explains what you need to know before you sign the first contract.
You contract directly with Geely Auto or Geely Holdings' export arm. Lowest unit price. Highest entry barrier — 50+ unit MOQs per model per year, established trade finance, national distributor agreements. This is how major national Geely distributors buy. For small-to-mid dealers, this channel is usually inaccessible.
You contract with a Chinese export-licensed trading company sourcing from Geely dealers or directly from Geely Auto. Moderate unit price (the exporter's margin is included). No minimum quantity — single units normal. This is the channel most independent international Geely dealers use, and the channel FOBEV operates in.
A broker in your country (or third country) fronts the import and resells. Highest unit price. Often zero local support. Useful only in specific niche cases.
Shipping mode can change total landed cost by 20–60%.
| Mode | What it is | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| CBU | Complete Built Unit — the car arrives ready to drive | Markets with moderate CBU tariffs. Fastest delivery. Simplest documentation. |
| SKD | Semi-Knocked Down — partially disassembled at the factory | Markets with high CBU but moderate SKD tariffs (Bangladesh, Pakistan). Requires local reassembly. |
| CKD | Complete Knocked Down — full parts kit for local assembly | Markets with very high CBU tariffs and local content requirements. Requires full local assembly. |
In Bangladesh, CBU duty can exceed 150% cumulative. SKD classification can take the effective duty burden down significantly. The catch: you need a local bonded assembly partner. We can introduce you to partners in specific markets.
Core document set:
Market-specific documents on top:
Standard: 30% deposit on contract signing, 70% against Bill of Lading scan. Balances buyer-seller risk reasonably.
For orders above USD 200,000, sight Letter of Credit from a first-class bank is often preferred. Shifts payment risk onto banks. More expensive, much safer for larger sums.
What we do not accept: Western Union, cryptocurrency, cash on delivery, split payments, or anything obscuring the audit trail.
Local type approval is ultimately your responsibility as importer. We supply manufacturer documentation, testing files, and spec sheets your local homologation agency requires. We don't file in your country on your behalf.
Specific-market issues we flag before you order: some Chinese-domestic Geely models don't meet European pedestrian-protection tests and can't be WVTA-certified without modification. Worth knowing before the ship leaves.
Illustrative structure — not a quotation. Precise figures per RFQ.
Bangladesh's duty structure heavily penalizes CBU. SKD changes economics significantly. Rough landed-cost structure: vehicle FOB (~65%), ocean freight/logistics (~5%), SKD duty+VAT (~22%), local bonded assembly+registration (~4%), other fees (~4%).
UAE customs duty 5% of CIF; VAT 5% of (CIF + duty). One of the most buyer-friendly tariff environments globally. Rough structure: vehicle FOB (~85%), ocean freight+insurance (~4%), customs duty+VAT (~10%), GCC registration (~1%). Why UAE is a premium Chinese EV destination.
Nigerian cumulative import duty+levies on CBU passenger vehicles run 30–40% of CIF. Full container collapses per-unit freight by 40–60%. Structure: vehicle FOB (~60%), logistics (~4%), customs duty+levies (~32%), registration/admin (~4%). Why full-container consolidated Coolray shipments are West African Chinese import mainstay.
Short rule: if annual volume per model is under 50 units, intermediary almost always makes sense. Factory-direct economics require national-distributor-level infrastructure and capital. Most independent international Geely dealers and virtually all fleet buyers below 50 units are intermediary customers.
Above 200+ annual units, direct relationships with Geely Auto start making sense and can save 5–10% on unit cost. We've helped several customers graduate to direct relationships after 2–3 years of building volume with us.
Quickest way to apply this to your situation: send us an RFQ. Tell us your market, target volume, budget ceiling. We return a realistic quotation or tell you honestly you're better off with a different approach.
You can if you have: registered importer entity in your country with right licenses, working capital for factory MOQs (often 50-100 units per model), trade-finance banking, and logistics capacity. If any piece is missing, an intermediary like FOBEV usually makes economic sense at small-to-mid volumes.
For 1–5 units: consolidating with other buyers' shipments. For 5–20 units: full-container CBU. For 20+ units in high-CBU-tariff markets: SKD/CKD if you have a bonded assembly partner. Specifically for Pakistan and Bangladesh, SKD is structurally right; for UAE/GCC, CBU always wins.
Core: Bill of Lading, Commercial Invoice, Packing List, Certificate of Origin (CCPIT), Manufacturer's Technical File, Insurance Certificate. Market-specific: GCC Certificate of Conformity (Gulf), WVTA (Europe), COC (EU), OTTS/SVTS (Russia), NATIS documentation (South Africa), JPJ documentation (Malaysia).
Order-to-loading: 30-45 days for in-stock, 60-90 days for allocation. Sea transit: 7-10 days to Russian Far East, 14-22 days to Gulf/South Asia, 30-40 days to East Africa/Europe, 35-45 days to LatAm. Total door-to-door: 2-4 months realistic basis.
Direct factory channels: you handle homologation surprises, port delays, quality disputes, warranty structure, currency volatility, and factory allocation changes yourself. An experienced intermediary absorbs most of these. Direct makes sense above ~500 units annually; below that, intermediary economics are structurally better.
Send an RFQ via WhatsApp or email. Our Shanghai export desk will scope your requirements and return a qualified FOB / CIF / DDP quotation — typically within one Shanghai business day.