Chinese automotive giant Geely Auto Group has opened its newest facility in Hangzhou Bay, Zhejiang. The new facility now boasts the title of the world’s largest and most advanced automotive safety testing center. This massive operation goes far beyond simply crash-testing vehicles; it represents a radical shift in the perspective on vehicle safety, particularly for the next generation of electric vehicles.

The ‘Golden Nose’ Team and Volvo Legacy

Geely invested approximately 2 billion yuan (approximately €248 million) in its new center. The facility covers an area of ​​45,000 square meters, but its real significance lies in how it redefines the concept of “safety.” Geely calls its new approach “Comprehensive Safety 2.0.”

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This new framework sets goals that go beyond simply protecting people in high-speed collisions: “Zero fatalities, zero health risks, zero property damage, and zero privacy breaches.” This goal enables the center to address emerging challenges such as vehicle cybersecurity, driver data protection, and ensuring in-vehicle air quality.

The scale of the test facility is literally record-breaking. Geely’s new headquarters has set five Guinness World Records. The main automotive safety laboratory spans nearly 82,000 square meters, larger than ten football fields. Inside, engineers can test vehicles on the world’s longest indoor crash test track, exceeding 293 meters in length.

The complex also features a massive, climate-controlled wind tunnel covering 28,536 square meters. This tunnel can simulate challenging weather conditions such as snow, rain, or intense solar radiation, while blowing air at speeds up to 250 km/h.

Behind Geely’s focus on safety lies a long-standing connection to Volvo. Li Shufu, the founder of Geely, which produced its first car in 2002, had set his sights on buying the long-established Swedish brand from Ford around the same time. Five years later, when Shufu tried to attend the Frankfurt Motor Show, his application was rejected by a German visa officer. Just five years later, in 2010, he acquired Volvo with his relatively unknown Chinese company.

To demonstrate the center’s capabilities, Geely conducted a live crash test at the opening ceremony, colliding two Lynk & Co 900 vehicles. A closer look at the facility’s areas of expertise reveals laboratories dedicated to advanced assisted driving simulations, pedestrian protection, and complex vehicle network safety testing. The center offers the most diverse testing capabilities, encompassing 27 different assessment types. This includes the unique “Golden Nose” team, specifically tasked with testing hazardous substances, odors, and volatile materials by smell.

Geely confirmed it will open the facility to the entire automotive industry, encouraging collaboration with partners such as CATARC and Tsinghua University to raise global standards. In doing so, Geely makes a clear statement that safety is a shared responsibility, providing a key point of reference for how all automakers should approach building safer and smarter electric vehicles.