Geely Holding Group Founder and Chairman Li Shufu has been named “MANBEST 2017” by AUTOBEST, the largest independent motoring jury in Europe representing 31 countries and 630 million readers.

No less than 95 percent of the European population is represented by the jury's many international motoring media outlets.

“I am honored to receive the MANBEST award from AUTOBEST. Thank you for your care and support of Geely Holding Group. Europe is the birthplace of the industrial revolution and has deep roots in the manufacturing industry. For the global development of brands under Geely Holding Group, Europe plays a very important part. Building up and maintaining a good brand image in the European market has always been a goal for us,” said Li in a rare video message sent to AUTOBEST.

Commenting on the award, AUTOBEST Founder and Chairman Dan Vardie said, “Li Shufu is a great example of a visionary in the automotive industry, proving that with the right strategy, determination and bravery, success will follow. Mr. Li and Geely are the first Chinese winners in the 17 years of AUTOBEST awards, but I do not think they will be the last. Our jury of 31 leading automotive product journalists is a very tough panel, and it shows how far China and Geely has come in this industry in terms of quality, engineering, design, technology and clever marketing to win over these seasoned motoring critics. Huge congratulations to Mr. Li and all at Geely and its brands.”

Geely sold nearly 1.25 million vehicles in 2017, up 63 percent year-on-year and exceeded by far the Group’s annual sales target of 1.1 million units. That momentum continued in to January with sales rising 51 percent in the month to 155,000 units, or nearly10 percent of its 2018 sales target of 1.58 million units.