Geely founder Li Shufu has criticised the current 'fast food' approach to vehicle production according to reports from an event in China, where he said that the current trend for getting vehicles to market as quickly as possible makes for worse cars. 

Li made the remarks at the China Automotive Chongqing Forum 2026 where he announced a strategic restructuring of parts of the Geely empire that he said would put the carmaker in a stronger position for its long term growth. 

He gave no details about what the restructuring would look like, but said that the company would cut down on excess capacity. He also said that the company had a long-term succession plan in place, hinting at his eventual retirement.  

At the event, the Geely boss said that safety and sustainability were the “lifeblood” of car companies, and that “respect for intellectual property rights, automotive culture and technological innovation” should be fundamental values. 

He also had criticism for the speedy development processes that have become part of the Chinese automotive industry in recent years and are starting to spread across the globe as established European and US carmakers find themselves at a disadvantage. 

Some Chinese manufacturers have been able to get entirely new models on the market in less than two years, where traditional carmakers have taken five to six years to see new technology come to fruition. 

Li said that “we cannot produce cars with a short-sighted, quick-fix approach,” continuing that innovation and technology needed to be earned and understood before going on sale. 

Chinese carmakers long had a reputation for copying technology and designs that has been shrugged off in recent years, but is obviously still lurking in the background. 

He pointed to Geely brand Volvo as the gold standard in safety development. “When it comes to automotive products, which directly impact human lives, it is essential not only to know what they are but also to understand why they are designed that way,” he explained. 

At the same event, Nio boss Li Bin warned that the Chinese car industry is going to face a tough year in 2026, estimating that the domestic market would drop as much as 20% on 2025’s numbers. He said that the growth in the take-up of cars among the Chinese had reached its final stages and that car companies would now face more intense competition for sales.