The three shipping modes for Chinese vehicle exports, explained for dealers who need to actually decide — not for customs textbooks.
Choosing wrong shipping mode is the single most expensive mistake first-time Geely importers make. Wrong choice can add 20–40% to total landed cost, or add weeks of unnecessary local assembly work that wasn't needed.
Geely or Zeekr arrives at your port fully assembled, ready to start and drive off the ship. Simplest mode. Factory QC complete. Homologation doc is for a single finished vehicle. Destination-side: customs clearance and registration only.
UAE and Gulf states, most of Europe, Russia (new vehicles), most LatAm, Singapore, Hong Kong, sub-Saharan Africa.
Geely is partially disassembled at factory before shipping. Typical removals: bumpers, wheels, headlights, some trim, sometimes the battery pack for EVs. Customer or local assembly partner reinstalls after clearance.
Bangladesh (huge advantage vs CBU), Pakistan (required by EDB policy for many models), some SEA markets with local-content incentives, parts of Africa with "knock-down" preferential tariffs.
Full parts kit. Every component separate. Local assembly required. CKD receives lowest tariff treatment in almost every market that recognizes the category.
Pakistan's Auto Industry Development and Export Policy explicitly promotes CKD. Egypt's local-content requirements favor CKD. Russia's "industrial assembly" framework has CKD programs. Indonesia's LCE program rewards CKD EVs. Malaysia uses Proton facilities for some Geely CKD (this is how EX5 becomes Proton eMas 7).
| Your situation | Recommended mode |
|---|---|
| First shipment, 1-3 units, moderate-tariff market | CBU |
| First shipment, 1-3 units, high-tariff market | CBU — SKD overhead not justified |
| 10-20 units, high-tariff market, local partner | SKD |
| 10-20 units, high-tariff market, no partner | CBU or find partner first |
| 100+ units annually, high-tariff, assembly plant | CKD |
| ASEAN markets with local-content incentives | SKD or CKD |
For first-time Geely/Zeekr importers in any market: start with CBU. Only move to SKD/CKD after you've proven the vehicle, market demand, and your logistics partner chain.
CBU is a fully assembled Geely ready to drive. SKD is partially disassembled — typically bumpers, wheels, some trim removed. CKD is a full parts kit for ground-up local assembly. Primary reason to choose SKD/CKD over CBU: qualify for lower tariff classification.
Depends on destination. Bangladesh, Pakistan, parts of SEA — yes, substantially (30-60% on duty burden). UAE, most EU, Russia — no, SKD offers no advantage. We quote the mode that actually saves you money, not the most technical-sounding one.
Not after production has started. CBU and SKD require different factory preparation — disassembly for SKD happens at factory, not in container. Lock the mode during quotation.
Most volume models (EX5, Coolray, Emgrand) have established SKD kit packaging. Newer models like Starray EM-i — SKD availability confirmed per order. Zeekr SKD is less common as Zeekr markets tend to be CBU-appropriate.
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.