Geely hosted the “China Design, Global Aesthetics: 2025 International Automotive Design Forum” in Shanghai on December 5, according to Y-Auto. The event brought together scholars, industry leaders, and design experts from China, Europe, and other regions to discuss the development of Chinese automotive design and its positioning in the global market.
Three years of design research
The forum marked three years of progress on Geely’s decade-long “Chinese Automotive Design Discourse System” research, launched in 2023. Geely, in collaboration with academic and industry partners, conducted multiple rounds of theoretical and practical studies to identify the core elements of Chinese automotive design. During the event, the third edition of the White Paper on this research was released, reflecting a shift from exploratory design toward a structured framework.
Nine Design Principles
A central output of the research is Geely’s “Nine Design Principles,” which provide guidelines for consolidating diverse design approaches under unified methodologies. The principles serve as a reference for designers applying Chinese design standards. The complete list of the Nine Design Principles has not been publicly disclosed.
Colour and Cultural Aesthetics
The forum also presented research on colour and cultural aesthetics. Geely defined “Geely Blue” as part of a Chinese colour system and released the “Chinese User Aesthetic Map,” which provides a geographically and culturally informed overview of Chinese consumer design preferences. These studies describe the cultural and regional factors considered in vehicle colour selection and overall design.
Interior design advances
Advances in cabin and interior design were highlighted, including the development of a cockpit-scale system tailored for Chinese users. This system reflects differences from Western anthropometric standards and provides measurable criteria for vehicle design. The forum also featured the integration of traditional Chinese patterns and symbols into automotive interiors, as well as the introduction of “Galaxy Beautiful Script,” a Chinese aesthetic Latin-based typeface intended for brand identity applications.
Roundtable discussion and industry context
The event concluded with a roundtable discussion on the cultural and industrial implications of automotive design. Participants examined how Chinese automotive design interacts with global market dynamics and discussed collaborative research and applied design approaches relevant to the broader industry.
Documenting Chinese automotive design
The 2025 forum illustrates Geely’s ongoing efforts to structure and document Chinese automotive design, serving as a reference for domestic and international automotive design.
