Geely is taking an increasingly serious look at Formula E, possibly for the second stage of the Gen4 era in 2028, with discussions continuing with possible partners for a project at the Shanghai E-Prix last weekend.

And a green light on such a programme could result in a return to top-level motorsport for the Lotus name.

The Race can reveal that Geely's executive vice president and spokesperson from the Geely Holding Group, Victor Young, was present at Shanghai and spoke with senior Formula E leaders and several team principals at the event.

Formula E, although having a Chinese-entered team with Envision, has not had a Chinese manufacturer in the championship since 2023 when NIO was still involved with the then-named ERT team. However, there was no overt technical connection on that occasion, meaning that NIO's actual involvement from an engineering perspective effectively ended in the Gen2 period.

BYD has activated at some E-Prixs in the past, notably Mexico City and Sao Paulo, but is thought much more likely to enter Formula 1 in 2030, with former Red Bull boss Christian Horner in talks with the company to try to form an entry.

Should Geely take the plunge into Formula E in the future it has a variety of brands to choose from that might include Zeekr, Polestar, Lynk & Co, Lotus or Maple, although the company could run under the Geely name too.

Polestar, which is 66% owned by Geely, was acquired by the Chinese business in conjunction with Volvo in 2017, with Geely having already acquired Volvo from Ford in 2010.

The Polestar brand was a part of the Manufacturers Advisory Board (MAB), which was formed in 2016 and included active racing manufacturers in Formula E as well as Volvo/Polestar, M-TEC Mugen, McLaren and Williams Advanced Engineering.

Since that time Geely has promoted Alexander Murdzevski Schedvin, who sat on the MAB, to the role of managing director of Geely Group Motorsport International AB, which will ultimately have sign-off on any potential move in to Formula E.

Geely is presently racing in the TCR World Tour with Thed Bjork, Santiago Urrutia, Yann Ehrlacher and former Formula E driver Ma Qign Hua driving works Geely Preface touring cars.

That is a new enterprise for the 2026 season, as Lynk & Co was previously its preferred brand - with programmes at the top level operated by Cyan Racing, the former factory Volvo team and Geely Motorsport Group's official motorsport partner.

It was Schedvin who played a central role in Volvo's championship-winning campaigns in the World Touring Car Championship and is tasked with managing the Geely Group's motorsport strategy. Formula E is believed to be a serious consideration for the future of the company.

Speaking to The Race at Shanghai last week, Formula E CEO, Jeff Dodds, said that he "knows Victor at Geely well and have spoken to him many times, and I think they do an impressive job, whether that’s through Lynk & Co, Zeekr, or perhaps Lotus or Polestar might be more recognisable for us, but they have a wealth of brands and have been hugely successful. You can read between those lines".

While Geely would have a host of brands to introduce to Formula E, the one that has by far the most motorsport heritage is Lotus.

Following a restructuring, Lotus UK (the sports car manufacturer) and Lotus Technology (the division handling electric vehicles) were reunified under Geely's umbrella with the company continuing to be headquartered at the historic former RAF airfield in Hethel, Norfolk.

A Lotus-branded Formula E effort was given a feasibility study in late-2020 as Formula E had licences to spare following the withdrawal of Audi and BMW. Now, Formula E is close to full on its franchises for the grid with 24 currently expected should Penske continue and the second Porsche factory team come to fruition.

That would mean a likely hook up for Geely with an existing team. Although not completely nailed on, that would assume a tie-in with an existing manufacturer, with Mahindra and Formula E's newest winner Lola probably the most likely to form a partnership.

Lotus's last motorsport programme was its GT4 racing efforts, where it supported the Lotus Emira GT4 car that was released in late-2023.