Livan Automotive

Livan Automotive, a joint venture between Geely and Lifan Group, is brand specially targeted at battery-swapping electric vehicle. The joint venture manufactures electric vehicles using Geely's existing platforms under Livan and Maple brands.

The brand was founded on January 24, 2022 in a merger between Maple and Lifan Technology.

In 2022, after Lifan Group was acquired by Geely Holding Group, Geely reconsolidated and merged its previous subsidiary, Maple (Maple Automobile Co., Ltd.) brand into the Livan brand, thus making Maple quit the market as independent brand and become a model name under the Livan brand.

History

Originally Shanghai Maple (SMA, Shanghai Maple Automobiles), the brand was established in 2000, producing Huapu (Maple) branded vehicles. The first Shanghai Maple vehicle was produced in the summer of 2003, based on the 1990s-era Citroën ZX. Geely acquired a strategic holding in Shanghai Maple in 2002, and in 2008, Shanghai Maple was fully consolidated into Geely as their budget brand before it was phased out in 2010 in favor of the Englon budget brand.

In March 2013, Geely and Kandi Technologies established a 50:50 joint venture, Zhejiang Kandi Electric Vehicles Investment, focused on the research and development, production, marketing, and sale of electric vehicles in the Chinese mainland. As a result of this partnership, the Maple brand was revived in 2020. The revived Maple brand began producing a series of affordable electric cars based on existing Geely petrol cars, beginning with the Maple 30X, based on the Geely Vision X3.

In March 2021, Kandi Technologies exited its stake, transferring its 22 percent equity interest to Geely. In 2022, Geely launched a joint venture between Lifan and Maple called Livan (Ruilan, 睿蓝). Geely announced the launch of the Maple Leaf 60S, Geely's first battery swap car under the Livan brand, produced in association with Lifan and based on the Geely Emgrand GL. In early 2022 the Maple brand was folded into the new Livan brand, becoming a model name used on legacy designs.

During the Livan brand launched later in June 2022, a brand new model, the Livan 7 electric fastback crossover was teased, while a few days later at the 2022 Chongqing Auto Show, the Livan 9 electric mid-size crossover SUV was shown for the first time being developed based on the Geely Haoyue.

Current models

* Livan Maple 30X/ X3 Pro (2020–present), subcompact SUV, rebadged Geely Vision X3
* Livan Maple 80V (2020–present), MPV, rebadged electric variant of Geely Jiaji
* Livan Maple 60S (2021–present) compact sedan, rebadged electric variant of Geely Emgrand L

* Livan 9 (2022–present), mid-size SUV, rebadged electric variant of Geely Haoyue
* Livan 7 (2022–present), electric fastback compact SUV

File:Maple 30x on display.jpg, Livan Maple 30X
File:Maple 60S IMG01.jpg, Livan Maple 60S
File:Maple 80V 001.jpg, Livan Maple 80V
File:2023 Livan 7 (front).jpg, Livan 7
File:Livan 9 01 China 2023-04-23.jpg, Livan 9
File:Geely Vision X3 001.jpg, Livan X3 Pro

References

{{Automotive industry in China

Car manufacturers of China
Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 2000
Geely brands